Charity shops will still be allowed to sell products with EU regulated labels for “a time-limited period” in the event of a no-deal Brexit, a government minister has said.
The government had previously indicated that goods would need to conform with new UK labelling in order to be sold - a move that the Charity Retail Association said would have created "crippling costs" for the sector.
Kelly Tolhurst, parliamentary under-secretary for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), confirmed that the government would permit charity shops to sell goods with CE (Conformite Europeene) markings on products, which indicate product conformity with European Economic Area (EEA) health, safety, and environmental standards, post-Brexit.
She said: “In the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, the government is taking the decision to adopt a continuity approach in some areas, such as CE marked products, and continue to recognise CE marking as now.”
“This means that charity retailers and other second-hand retailers can continue to place second hand goods with CE marking on the UK market, as before, for a time-limited period,” she added.
It comes after concerns were raised about the government’s plan to replace CE markings on products with a new UK equivalent, UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed), in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
In guidance published earlier this month, BEIS said the new marking would be used for goods on the UK market if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
It said: “You will still, in the majority of cases, be able to use the CE marking to demonstrate compliance with the legal requirements and to sell products on the UK market after 29 March 2019. However, in some cases you will need to apply the new UKCA marking to products being sold in the UK.”
The Charity Retail Association had warned that this meant charity shops could face “crippling costs” as donated items would still bear CE markings for some time, making the stock unsellable.
The umbrella organisation urged the government to permit “a period of grace” for charity shops to sell CE marked goods.
Responding to Toby Perkins, Labour MP for Chesterfield’s written question to BEIS about the assessments the government had made on the plan’s effect on charity shops, Tolhurst said that the status quo would remain for the time being.
She added that the government will “consult with business, including charity retailers, before taking any decision to end the period of recognition of the CE marking”.
Reacting to the news a spokesperson from the CRA said: “Post-Brexit, charity shops must be able to trade in future with minimum disruption, so we are delighted that the government has listened to our call to provide reassurance over goods sold with CE markings in our members’ shops if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal.”
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