As we start the first full working week of 2021, businesses who buy or sell within the UK have to comply with the new Brexit regulations.
The UK and the EU have agreed that there will be no taxes on each other's goods when they cross borders and no limits on the amount of things that can be traded. So what affect will the regulations have on business? In a word - paperwork. Traders in England, Wales and Scotland will need to make customs declarations as if they were dealing with countries elsewhere in the world - this means a lot of paperwork.
Some products, including plants, live animals and some foods will need special licences and certificates whilst others will have to be labelled in specific ways. Full details can be found on the Gov.UK website.
There will also no longer be automatic recognition of professional qualifications so people will need to check each countries rules to make sure their qualifications are still recognised.
The UK Government has chosen to delay the imposition of full controls by six months but the EU are carrying out the checks from the 1st January so there are bound to some delays and disruptions at the borders. Whether for or against, the deal has been done and now only time will prove just how big a deal it really is.