The UK’s newly-implemented Track and Trace system for tobacco products will be suspended in the event of a no-deal Brexit, as Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) confirmed on 4 Sept, Convenience Store reported.

The system, which was a requirement of the EU Tobacco Products Directive, would likely be suspended for up to one year if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 31 Oct, while it attempted to introduce a UK stand-alone system, an HMRC spokesman told Convenience Store.
The Track and Trace legislation was implemented on 20 May 2019 and requires retailers across the UK to apply for unique codes – an Economic Operator Identifier Code registered to their business and a Facility Identifier Code for each of their stores – in order to purchase new Track and Trace compliant tobacco products that are now available in wholesale, the report said.
“If we have to suspend the Track and Trace system following a no-deal EU exit, we are fully committed to restarting a UK system as quickly as possible with the minimum changes necessary to give the UK full regulatory control,” an HMRC spokesman was quoted as saying. “If we leave the EU with a deal, the Track and Trace system will continue in its current format,” he added.