Ashford Port Health Authority has highlighted the continued importance of strong border controls following the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) announcement that it intends to remove routine EU border checks by June 2027.
The port said that the issue had come into “sharp focus” as the UK marks 25 years since the country faced its most serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Anthony Baldock, corporate director of health and wellbeing at Ashford Port Health Authority, said the UK’s geography has historically played an important role in protecting the country from animal disease threats.
Baldock stated: “The control of land borders is extremely challenging, and the UK’s position as an island gives us a significant advantage in protecting animal health. The English Channel helped protect Britain in the Second World War, and in more recent times it has also helped shield the country from serious animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease and African swine fever reaching our shores unchecked.”
The 2001 outbreak affected more than 2,000 farms and led to the loss of more than six million animals.
Recent outbreaks across Europe, including cases in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia in 2025, underline the reality that animal disease continues to pose a global risk and can cross borders quickly. Each incident has prompted swift UK action, said Ashford Port, including enhanced import controls and regionalised restrictions, to reduce the risk of spread and protect the UK’s farming and food sectors.
Following the outbreak in Brandenburg, Germany, Ashford Port Health Authority responded by carrying out checks on lorries and consignments carrying goods susceptible to FMD. It said that over just a few days, officers stopped more than 120 vehicles and screened in excess of 3,000 tonnes of products to help protect the UK’s livestock and food supply.
Ashford Port said it had prevented “significant volumes of non-compliant or high-risk food and animal products” from entering the UK market. Preventing disease at the border control point remains one of the most effective ways of avoiding far wider disruption, said the port.
Strong borders remain essential
Baldock said: “25 years on from the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak, the lessons are as relevant as ever. Strong borders, vigilant checks and close collaboration remain essential to keeping the UK safe.
“The large number of animal disease outbreaks we continue to see internationally, alongside the discovery of significant quantities of unfit meat entering the UK in recent years, demonstrates why effective border controls remain critical to protecting our farming sector and food supply.
“It is therefore surprising that Defra has announced it will be striving to remove EU border checks by June 2027, particularly when significant progress has been made in improving how these checks operate.
“In Kent, for example, automation and AI-supported processes at the Border Control Posts have enabled checks to become more efficient while controlling costs and preventing increases. Local authority innovation has also played an important role in resolving operational challenges such as the Timed-Out Decision Contingency Feature (TODCOF).”
“Our strength lies in partnership, sharing intelligence, expertise and best practice across the Port Health network.”
Anthony Baldock, Ashford Port Health Authority
Baldock continued: “While we recognise the importance of facilitating trade, it is vital that the UK does not lose the intelligence-led, risk-based approach developed through the Border Target Operating Model. This framework has significantly strengthened our ability to protect the country from disease and food safety risks.
“No single Port Health Authority can manage these risks in isolation. Our strength lies in partnership, sharing intelligence, expertise and best practice across the Port Health network and working closely with Defra and other regulatory bodies.
“As global supply chains evolve and disease pressures change, this collective approach has never been more important. Ashford Port Health Authority is proud to play its part in protecting our borders, safeguarding food security and supporting the health of the UK’s livestock.”
