ATP is an agreement on the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs and on the special equipment to be used for such carriage. It is referred to as the ATP agreement (after its French initials Agreement Transport Perishable) and was drawn up by the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Committee for Europe in 1970-71.

For the road haulage operator only delivering foodstuffs in the UK, there is no legislative requirement for ATP. However for operators travelling on international journeys an ATP certificate is nearly always essential. It is illegal to transport perishable foodstuffs across an international boundary between countries that are signatories to the agreement unless the vehicle has an ATP certificate.

If you do this you could be stopped, turned back and even incur a substantial fine!

However, many UK operators purchase vehicles with an ATP certificate for the purpose of a quality standard. An ATP certificate ensures that the insulated body and the refrigeration unit has been tested by a third party and the two have been appropriately matched.

ATP will not be affected by Brexit as it is an intergovernmental treaty under the auspice of the United Nations and precedes the EU/EEC and will continue as normal.

However there is always the possibility of other border issues or delays but these will not be related to ATP.