Ashford Port Health Authority has responded to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) announcement that detailed the intended removal of checks at the border.
Defra revealed how it believed the new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement would affect businesses, stating that it intended for the agreement to take effect in mid-2027.
In its announcement, Defra said that exporters, both large and small, trading with the EU will save money. It said that businesses will benefit from less money “spent on complex paperwork at the border”.
Export Health Certificates, which can cost up to £200 per consignment, will no longer be required, said Defra. It also went on to say that routine border checks by Port Health Authorities that currently apply to red meat, dairy, eggs and fish imports will be removed, “removing fees, costs associated with queueing and lowering the risk of spoilage”. Goods will move freely between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Defra confirmed.
The announcement detailed how trade “will flow faster” and supply chains will “become more resilient”, claiming that food security would be strengthened in both the UK and Europe.
Defra announcement a “surprise” to Ashford Port Health Authority
Anthony Baldock, corporate director of health and wellbeing at Ashford Port Health Authority, said: “We are shocked to see that, despite the recent EFRA criticisms and endorsement of the need to protect our borders from disease, Defra has announced that it will be striving to remove all EU border checks by June 2027.
“The large number of animal disease outbreaks and the discovery, post-Brexit, of high levels of unfit meat originating from the EU clearly show that standards in the EU do not match the high standards we have achieved in the UK. I am not aware of any similar issues involving exports from the UK to the EU.
“It is even more surprising when considered in light of the progress being made in automating checks using AI technology at the Kent Border Control Posts. This innovation has enabled checks to become more efficient while controlling costs and preventing any increases.”
“It also remains unclear where the often cited ‘huge savings’ for business will be found.”
Anthony Baldock, Ashford Port Health Authority
Baldock continued: “It is not currently known whether Defra plans to increase its own costs, for example through the Common User Charge, but I would hope that the example we have set, alongside continued joint working with Defra’s on-site staff, will allow progress in that area, too.
“This approach also seems a strange response given that Defra’s challenges with the ’timed out decision contingency feature’ (TODCOF) are now finally being resolved through local authority innovation.
“It is very disappointing that the intelligence-led, risk-based methodology created through the UK’s Border Target Operating Model has not formed the basis of a bilateral agreement with our EU colleagues. These gains risk being lost if the UK simply moves to alignment.
“While carve-outs have been suggested, it is highly unlikely that these would be granted and, even if they were, extremely complex labelling requirements would be needed, as those goods would only be permitted within the UK. Animal welfare standards are also higher in the UK and it is unlikely that any alignment would influence this aspect of food production.
“It also remains unclear where the often cited ‘huge savings’ for business will be found, as customs controls will still be required and vehicles will still regularly need to visit the Sevington Inland Border Facility regardless of SPS controls.”
