WIDE OF THE MARK So the Government has reached what many people regarded as an inevitable decision and delayed – or, hopefully, abandoned – plans to implement the UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark. It has announced that companies can continue to use the CE mark “indefinitely”. The UKCA mark was intended to supersede the CE mark in post-Brexit Britain but the idea was beset with hurdles and delays from the outset. Originally, businesses were told that they would have to start using the UKCA mark on products placed on the UK market by the end of 2021. In September 2021, it was announced that the implementation had been delayed until 1 January 2023. And then in November 2022, a further delay was announced, pushing back implementation until the start of 2025. Now it appears to have been postponed indefinitely. Business and trade organisations had lobbied vociferously against the UKCA mark, saying that it would create an unnecessary and costly extra level of bureaucracy for manufacturers. The CE mark, they argued, was a wellestablished international symbol, whereas the UKCA mark would probably be recognised only in the UK. It would also deter some global suppliers from offering their products for sale in the UK if it meant that they would have to undergo an extra certification and labelling process to sell their wares here. An added complication was that Northern Ireland was allowed to continue using the CE mark. So the official announcement earlier this month of an indefinite delay to implementing the UKCA mark was greeted with widespread relief. The Government explained that the Business Secretary had “acted urgently on this issue, to prevent a cliff-edge moment in December 2024”, when the UKCA scheme was meant to come into force. “We have listened to industry, and we are taking action to deliver,” said business minister, Kevin Hollinrake. “By extending CE marking use across the UK, firms can focus their time and money on creating jobs and growing the economy.” Industry welcomed the climbdown. Stephen Phipson, CEO of the manufacturers’ organisation Make UK, described it as “a pragmatic and common-sense decision,” adding that “it should bring more confidence about doing business in the UK”. But some suppliers have already incurred expenses gearing up for the expected implementation of the UKCA mark. Wayne Rose, director and CEO of the British Pump Manufacturers’ Association (BPMA), reports that: “Some of our larger members have already endured the unwelcomed expense and bureaucracy of dual safety mark adoption, simply to continue selling the same products to the same markets, so although they too will welcome this announcement, a good deal of wasted time, effort and cost has already been spent. For our smaller members, they will be relieved that the cliff-edge deadline of UKCA mark adoption has been removed, and that they can now redirect their efforts into product innovation and business growth.” Some questions still remain. Does the indefinite extension to the use of the CE mark mean that the UKCA mark is dead and buried? That is not clear from the official announcement. Also, the announcement lists 18 categories to which the extension applies, including machinery, low-voltage electrical equipment, Atex equipment and measuring instruments. But there are suggestions that other Government departments will have to make their decisions about the marking of products under their remits. All in all, the UKCA project seems to have been a waste of time and money. It has been an unnecessary distraction at a time when British businesses have many more important issues to deal with. Tony Sacks, Editor n COMMENT
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