Baroness Hayman's visit to Sevington as Port Health site profile and impact grows

The Border Control Post (BCP) at Sevington is now one of the busiest in the United Kingdom. Serving both the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel which combined transport 40% of the UK’s imports of meat and dairy products into the UK.

Ashford Borough Council’s Port Health Team are amongst the top three performers undertaking hundreds of checks on imported food on a daily basis alongside the City of London and Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority. Given the short journey times of the Short Straits crossings, Government data has estimated that these two routes account for 25% of the total UK perishable food imports.

The Port Health service is also a key contributor to National Policy Development, playing a prominent role in the Association of Port Health Authorities (APHA) and working with other regulatory bodies such as DEFRA (Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs).

The recruitment of the large team of staff needed to undertake checks 24 hours a day 7 days a week has been a very big task and is thankfully finally nearing completion due to a great team effort between HR colleagues and the Senior Leadership Team in the Port Health Service.

The BCP is a government-owned facility which is unique within the network of other such facilities and the site is often visited by senior public officials and leading industry figures due to its importance.

The latest high-profile visitor to the site was Baroness Heyman who was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary for DEFRA and holds responsibility for bio security and animal welfare.

The Minister spent the morning in the company of the Port Health Team and enjoyed a tour of the facilities observing an inspection of fish from a Turkish aquaculture farm and discussing the recently purchased equipment for handling carcasses.

Cllr Bill Barrett, portfolio holder for Port Heath, said: “Ashford Port Health plays an important role in ensuring food imports coming into the UK are safe. The team is undertaking hundreds of checks on imported food on a daily basis, working 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

“I’m proud of how the team are playing such a prominent role in the Association of Port Health Authorities (APHA) and working with other regulatory bodies such as DEFRA (Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs) and other government agencies based at at Sevington.”

Ashford Borough Council is becoming well established and recognised in its new duty delivering Port Health related functions, so much so we are hosting the East of England Port Local Area Network (EPLAN) meeting on behalf of APHA in December 2024.

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) have also decided to hold their next meeting in Ashford Town Centre early next year.