Why are Rules of Origin putting a spanner in the works?

So, why do we have RoO?

RoO are written into all trade agreements to ensure that reduced tariffs and other non-trade barriers covered by the agreement are only available to goods originating in the countries that have signed the agreement. If we did not have RoO then companies could just import goods into a country that has a trade deal with the country they want to trade with then just export the goods from that country even though the country that originally sent the goods does not have a deal with that country.

For example, a US company wants to export to the EU, but the US and the EU do not have a trade deal. Without RoO the US company could export the goods to the UK and then on to the EU taking advantage of the UK EU trade deal.

The rules vary for each commodity code though in general if 50% of the ex works price is considered as originating in the UK then the goods would be considered to be of UK origin.

For goods wholly originating on the UK this is not an issue but with modern supply chains parts come from all over the world. When we were a member of the EU then parts from EU counties counted towards the origin of the goods and in some agreements they still can as long as they processed in some way in the UK. This is called cumulation and is included in some format in most trade agreements.

The issue UK businesses are having at the moment is that cumulation can only apply if the goods are processed and there is a list of minimal processes which do not change the origin of the goods.

For example if Norwegian salmon is imported into the UK and then repackaged for the consumer market, then repackaging is considered a minimal process which does not confer origin, so the goods remain of Norwegian origin. If the same Norwegian salmon is imported into the UK and is smoked and then repackaged for the consumer market, then the salmon can be considered of UK origin.