The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) took to ‘Zoom’ recently to hold its first-ever virtual Annual General Meeting. This saw the formulation of the IAAF council for 2021-22 and provided members with a valuable industry update.

The meeting, saw IAAF appointing WAI UK managing director Richard Welland as its new president, taking over from Terry Knox.

Once the formalities had been communicated, CEO Wendy Williamson went on to share IAAF’s activity for the year ahead, kicking off with detailing how the federation is working closely with FIGIEFA on a number of issues, including BER renewal. IAAF has submitted a 32-page consultation document to the EU commission in January on BER, which is due for renewal in 2023, and is now pulling together a cross-industry group to lobby the Government on the issue.

Wendy Williamson then discussed the Brexit Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA), explaining that there may be more complexities than initially thought, commenting, “We are now facing a period of extreme disruption and confusion as we begin to unravel what the deal means.” She added, “With Brexit and COVID-19 causing a perfect storm, freight issues are expected to continue in the near future. Carriers in the EU were unprepared and costs have skyrocketed.”

Wendy concluded: “After an extremely unpredictable last year, we have already set the wheels in motion for yet another busy year ahead for the Federation and look forward to working closely with members throughout.”