Border Trade Newsletter – getting it right at the border 11/12/25

In this newsletter:

1. Reminder: Customs Declaration Service downtime
2. ASF in Spain: regionalisation measures
3. Useful contacts

HMRC have informed us that due to scheduled maintenance, you will be unable to access their online service from 9:30pm on Saturday 13 December 2025 to 6am on Sunday 14 December 2025. The full detail, including what businesses should do, is covered on the HMRC Service site here: Customs Declaration Service: service availability and issues – GOV.UK

On 28 November 2025, Spain notified Defra that cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) were detected in wild boar within the Barcelona province.
Regionalisation measures and restrictions for ASF in Spain have now been implemented and reflected in the relevant third-country lists, following confirmation of the restricted zones by the Spanish authorities. The OVS note can be found on GOV.UK.

For further information, please visit EU and EFTA countries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain – data.gov.uk.

Further guidance will be issued as necessary.