Post-Brexit biosecurity checks on EU imports come into force in Dover

The government says up until now most goods from the EU, other than the highest risk items, have been entering the UK without checks. Credit: PA

Changes to the way the UK imports food, animal and plant products have come into force in Dover, aimed at improving biosecurity.

Local authorities will check documents at the UK border and physical inspections will begin.The government says up until now most goods from the EU, other than the highest risk items, have been entering the UK without checks.

Products deemed 'medium risk' will undergo physical checks including testing for pests and diseases that could impact the safety of food or harm the environment.

Checks will also involve visual inspections and temperature readings of goods.

Additionally, 'high risk' goods will now be checked at the border to help identify public health issues such as salmonella.

The Government is also launching two pilots, testing whether businesses can carry out checks away from the border.

It comes after 31 January this year, when the government began phasing in its new Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) for all imports of animal and plant products from the European Union (EU).

  • Nick Allen, Chief executive, British Meat Processors Association & Alan Bird, Director, Two Counties Foods

The new rules will apply to meat, fish and diary as well as fruit and vegetables.

'Medium risk' and 'high risk' goods now require health certificates, which in the case of animal products need to be signed off by a vet to show they meet UK standards, which are currently the same as EU standards.

Food suppliers have warned that the checks will "increase food prices and reduce consumer choice" and impose "impractical" requirements on businesses.

Importers will also need to pay up to £145 to bring such products into the country, with the fee intended to cover the cost of operating the border control posts introduced after Brexit.

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Earlier this month, the Cold Chain Federation urged the Government to once again delay introducing the checks, with chief executive Phil Pluck saying the BTOM was "a broken model".

He said: "Without listening to the experts, the Government will seriously damage business confidence in the UK and add costs to consumers’ weekly shop."

The Government has said the checks will only increase food prices by 0.2% over the next three years, which farming minister Sir Mark Spencer told MPs on Monday was "a small price to pay for making sure that we are safe and protected" and negligible compared to the £12 billion cost of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

But Labour MP Stella Creasy told the Commons that the impact could be significantly higher, and described the measures as a "Brexit border tax" that could add £8 a month to the average food shop.

  • Christine Middlemiss, Chief Veterinary Officer of the United Kingdom

Ministers have insisted the checks are necessary to protect the UK from diseases such as African Swine Fever, which is widespread in some parts of Europe.

Cabinet Office minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said: "It is essential that we introduce these global, risk-based checks to improve the UK’s biosecurity.

"We cannot continue with temporary measures which leave the UK open to threats from diseases and could do considerable damage to our livelihoods, our economy and our farming industry.

"We have listened to all parts of industry every step of the way and will continue to support them to implement these changes as smoothly as possible."

The Port of Dover has said the new checks will not create additional delays at the port itself as they are carried out at a separate facility in Sevington, near Ashford.

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