Ashford Port Health impact being felt at Sevington Border Control Post

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.

Portfolio holder, Cllr Bill Barrett was shown around the site by Director Anthony Baldock, where he was able to see first hand the work of the team, and came away impressed.

Cllr Bill Barrett, portfolio holder for Port Heath, said: “Ashford Port Health is playing an increasingly 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 was very impressed from what I saw, and proud of the work they do.”

Ashford Port Health is based at Sevington alongside other regulatory bodies such as DEFRA (Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs) and other government agencies,

The Port Health service is among 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).