We are seeing units on ‘DEFRA’ holds due to mismatches between systems. We have received guidance on how to prevent and resolve this issue. A DEFRA hold is not a Port Health, APHA or Border Force hold and the local teams in most cases cannot remove them.
The issue occurs when information on the IPAFFS declaration does not match with information on the CDS declaration and this could be as simple as a single digit of a reference number in the wrong place or an incorrect arrival Port, BCP or date/time. It is imperative that IPAFFS completely match the documentation uploaded within CDS and that the Automatic Licence Verification System (ALVS) can link the customs declaration to the correct CHED import notification.
In case of a mismatch, an automatic DEFRA hold will follow which can only be resolved by the person responsible for the documentation. Usually this is an Agent or Importer. As haulier (or driver) you will need contact the importers to follow the attached guide so that they may get to work to resolve the issue promptly. The steps should be followed in order, to get the units released swiftly. This may include amendments to CHED’s, CDS declarations etc.
For more information, please see our page on BCPs here.