Northern Ireland businesses - and their suppliers in Great Britain - are being unfairly burdened by opaque charges, incorrect customs processes, and a lack of transparency in business-to-business parcel movements from GB to NI.

Since the introduction of new parcel arrangements under the Windsor Framework in May 2025, Fast Parcel Operators (FPOs) have been required to customs clear commercial parcels moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. In practice, this has created a system where businesses are being charged duty and high “disbursement” or administration fees without being given the information or control needed to understand, verify, or challenge those charges.

This is not simply a question of cost, it is a question of process, accountability and fairness.

 
A fundamental imbalance of control
In many cases, Northern Ireland traders do not choose the parcel operator and do not hold an account with them. The parcel delivery is arranged by the supplier in Great Britain who has the commercial relationship with the Fast Parcel Operator.

Despite this, it is often the Northern Ireland business - named as Importer of Record - that is later pursued for duty, disbursement fees and other administration charges (such as late payment fees) by a parcel operator with whom they have no contractual relationship whatsoever.

This creates a deeply unfair situation where:

• The NI trader has legal liability but no operational control;
• The GB supplier controls the shipment but may not understand the customs consequences; and
• The parcel operator applies charges to a party that had no opportunity to influence how the parcel was cleared.

What is going wrong in practice
Many Northern Ireland businesses report that Fast Parcel Operators are:

• Applying duty and fees without requesting or being provided with basic customs information such as commodity codes, country of origin, or item values;
• Clearing parcels under simplified procedures (including EIDR) while failing to provide traders - who remain legally liable - with access to the underlying customs data;
• Charging additional fees simply to disclose how charges were calculated; and
• Providing inconsistent or incorrect explanations to both NI traders and GB suppliers, including claims that charges apply because “the UK left the EU on the 01/05/25” or that goods are “moving into the EU from the UK”, even where goods are clearly remaining within the UK Internal Market (under UKIMS.

As a result, many businesses are paying charges by default, not because they are correct, but because they lack the information, leverage, or practical route to challenge them.

This affects both ‘At Risk’ and ‘Not At Risk’ parcels
The problem is not limited to ‘At Risk’ goods.

Even where goods qualify as ‘Not At Risk’ under the UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS), businesses report that:

• Simplified processes are not applied consistently;
• Suppliers in Great Britain are not clearly told what information must be provided; and
• Fees are applied that should not arise where goods remain within the UK Internal Market.

This undermines the purpose of the simplified arrangements designed to protect internal UK trade.

 
Why this matters to Great Britain suppliers
This issue does not only affect Northern Ireland businesses.

It directly impacts Great Britain suppliers, because:

• NI customers increasingly seek alternative suppliers in Ireland or the wider EU to avoid unpredictable parcel charges;
• GB businesses lose trade due to failures in parcel customs processes rather than product or price; and
• Suppliers are often blamed for charges they neither control nor properly understand.

This is damaging trade within the United Kingdom itself.

 
A system without transparency cannot function
Under the current arrangements:

• Traders are legally liable for customs declarations;
• Yet access to the data needed to verify those declarations is often withheld or monetised;
• Escalation routes are poorly communicated, unrealistic at scale, and ineffective in practice.

This is not compatible with a functioning internal market or fair treatment of UK businesses.

 
What we are calling for
We call on the UK Government to intervene to ensure that:

• Fast Parcel Operators are required to request and use accurate customs data before applying charges;
• Businesses named as the 'Importer of Record' are given free access to the customs information underpinning any duty or fees charged;
• Simplified processes for ‘Not At Risk’ goods under UKIMS are applied consistently and correctly; and
• Clear, enforceable guidance is issued across parcel operators, suppliers and traders so that UK businesses can trade with confidence.

Why your support matters
This issue affects businesses every day, often in small amounts per shipment, but with significant cumulative impact. Many feel they have no choice but to pay and move on.

By signing this petition, you are supporting:

• Fair treatment of Northern Ireland businesses,
• Clarity and protection for Great Britain suppliers, and
• A properly functioning UK internal market.

Sign today to help bring transparency, accountability, and fairness to GB-NI commercial parcel trade.