Ashford Port Health
Ashford Port Health service, managed by Ashford Borough Council, is responsible for undertaking official border controls on a range of commodities, including high-risk food and feed, products of animal origin, and high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin.
The service operates at the Sevington Inland Border Facility (IBF), which is the busiest Border Control Post (BCP) in GB Inland border facilities are UK government sites where customs and document checks can take place away from port locations. A Border Control Post (BCP) is a place where animals, plants, and their products coming into GB from the EU and other third countries via seaports or airports are checked.
Agencies operating on the Sevington site include the Animal Plant and Health Agency who look after plants and seeds for planting and live animals. HMRC and Border Force run the customs site. Overall DEFRA operate the BCP but have no duty as a competent authority.
Baroness Hayman’s visit to Sevington as Port Health site profile and impact grows.
Welcome to the Ashford Port Health team, Tony Baldock.
Our key achievements:
Successful Delivery of Border Control Point:
• The Sevington BCP was developed to cover all sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods, ensuring robust controls for products imported into GB.
• The BCP operates 24 hours a day, making it unique among GB BCP’s.
• The facility employs 158 staff and is fully cost recoverable, not burdening local taxpayers.
Protecting the Public:
• The BCP ensures biosecurity by stopping goods that pose a risk, such as those from regions with known issues to human health or animal health from disease or contamination.
• The service plays an active role in the Association of Port Health Authorities and collaborates with other local authorities and Border Force.
• Ashford Port Health’s role in helping enhance safety and security of the UK food chain.
Supporting the Local Economy:
• Ashford Borough Council has contributed to the local economy by employing local people and providing valuable training and skills.
• The council has trained around 20 Environmental Health Officers and is currently training another 20 with grant assistance from the Food Standards Agency.
Rejection examples
283518 – Country of origin –Lithuania – pre-notified as low risk composite products but within consignment chilled smoked headless mackerel (Scomber scombrus) was found.
Quantity = 2 boxes @ 10.80kg gross weight
Reason for rejection: chilled smoked headless Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) was misdeclared by agent as low risk. This type of product is classified under BTOM as Medium Risk as it is associated with histamine and must be imported with a corresponding model health certificate for the placing on the market of fishery products GBHC401 and a validated Catch Certificate from the competent authority of the country where the fishing vessel is registered.
Action: consignment was sent for destruction as Category 2 material.
225957 – Country of origin –Romania – chilled mixed meat products (pork, beef and sheep).
Quantity = 45 cartons @ 490.40kg gross weight
Reason for rejection: the chilled mixed meat products were produced from meat sourced in Germany (pork), Poland & Romania (beef) and Spain (sheep). The manufacturing plant is located in Romania in an affected African Swine Fever (ASF) area. Section AH/P301 of the health certificate presented with consignment has “drying” as treatment highlighted for the products. As manufacturing plant is within an ASF restrictred area, the minimum acceptable treatment required is “C” treatment.
Action: consignment was sent for destruction as Category 2 material after after Reg 20 TARP Notice expired while consignment was being detained at the BCP.
289640 – Country of origin –Poland – Frozen gutted royal carp and trout.
Quantity = 1,277 boxes @ 14,047.00kg gross weight
Reason for rejection: Visual examination revealed leakage from consignment and packages. When the trailer door was opened for inspection, there was a strong smell of putrefaction through microbial activity; some loose fish were on the floor of the trailer; some of the packages were damaged; the ice on top of the fish in the packages had melted and there was water log at the bottom of the boxes, fish was seating in the melt water; the fish were covered with slime.
Action: consignment was sent for destruction as Category 2 material.
Key facts about the Ashford Porth Health service:
Two Inland Border Facilities were originally planned by the Government although only one was finally developed at Sevington. This was because the number of checks were substantially reduced after the revisions by way of The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).
A Border Control Post (BCP) was originally planned for Dover and Sevington, however ultimately only a BCP was opened at Sevington to cover all as sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods again due to the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).
Thus, there were never plans for a BCP to be constructed in the Port of Dover as both sites were located inland.
All the costs of running the Sevington BCP are fully cost recoverable and not a burden to local taxpayers.
158 staff are employed at the facility.
The British Ports Association are highly supportive of inland facilities preventing congestion at the ports further to introduction of checks on EU goods.
SPS goods are also controlled via customs controls and all vehicles must be sealed for security purposes so if they miss the facility HMRC will be aware. (All on one site and ease of access).
Ashford Borough Council is now running the busiest Border Control Post in the UK which is a tremendous achievement considering the number of delays and setbacks we encountered on the journey.
The BCP showed its worth in ensuring robust controls are in place for products imported into the UK that pose a risk to bio security further to the excellent work by the team recently in stopping goods from the region in Germany entering these shores from the Channel Tunnel or the Port of Dover following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
What our customers think:
“May I just take this time to say sorry for being a pain in the proverbial backside this year, it’s been a tough year that’s for sure, but without yourselves I wouldn’t be sat here now - so a big thank you for all your help this year.”
Ashford Borough Council has contributed to the local economy by employing lots of local people and also through training staff and equipping them with valuable work and skills. Overall, the IBF site will play an important role in providing skills and work for people within the Kent Coastal Marmot Area which KCC are working on at the present time.
Ashford Borough Council has trained around 20 Environmental Health Officers helping deal with a national shortage of such professionals.
Another 20 employees are also currently being allowed to train to achieve the same using grant assistance provided by the Food Standards Agency.
The BCP is the place where legally imported goods are imported to GB and Local Authorities are not responsible for smuggled goods or personal imports as that is a role undertaken by Border Force.
We nevertheless assist this agency always when asked and applaud the work undertaken by other local authorities who help Border Force accordingly.
Ashford Borough Council is playing a very active part within the Association of Port Health Authorities and recently hosted Port Health Officials from around the UK for a training day.
Ashford Borough Council is leading a project to develop an AI aided system to help speed up clearance at the border.
The site is unique as the BCP operates 24 hours a day unlike any other GB BCP’s.
Other ports also have roll-on/roll-off plus load-on/ load-off (where cranes are used to load and unload containers or generalised cargo). What makes us unique is the time it takes by train or ferry across the short straits (the trading routes across the narrowest parts of the English Channel).
“We had a meeting with a number of our high-volume hauliers concerning our future plans for invoice arrangements and which PHAs did they feel had the billing sorted out as a procedure. Your team was identified as “getting it right” in the trade’s eyes.”
High Risk Foods Not of Animal Origin (HRFNAO)
Figs from Turkey – testing for Aflatoxin B1
There were 7 pallets in total of dried figs which originated from Turkey which is listed in Annex II of Assimilated Regulation 2019/1793. Article 11 of that Regulation requires an official certification to be provided for this product from the country. No such documents were provided. This consignment was sampled and was held pending analytical results for aflatoxins.
The sample was unsatisfactory as two of the laboratory samples contained levels of aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin which exceeded their respective maximum permitted levels.
Something Fishy
Sharon joined Ashford Port Health on 26 June 2022 as a technical assistant. She was sponsored and supported by the team at Ashford to undertake the Higher Certificate in Food Control. Sharon graduated from Birmingham in July 2023. She carried on with her studies and managed to pass the CIEH professional competency portfolio and interview and so has just qualified as a Port Health Officer on the 26 June 2024.
Sharon always seems to be in the right place at the right time and her sense of smell will remain legendry here at Ashford.
Sharon happened to be passing the swim lanes on site at Sevington Inland Border Facility (IBF), where she caught a whiff of putrid fish in the air and noted that there was effluent on the tarmac. Sharon quickly made contact with the Site Operator and tracked down the offending vehicles.
Sesame Seeds from India – testing for pesticides
Sesame seeds 70 boxes from India, attached lab report was incomplete. Detained pending sampling results for pesticide residues. Results failed and the product was destroyed. Annex II 2019/1793
Pistachio Nuts from Turkey – testing for Aflatoxin B1
Total weight 5232kg 480 boxes
UNSATISFACTORY - Contamination
Under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, implemented by The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2013, the sample is permitted to contain a maximum of 8µg/kg (micrograms per kilogram) of aflatoxin B1 and a maximum of 10 µg/kg of total aflatoxin. The sample results exceeded the permitted levels and was therefore unsatisfactory, the product was destroyed.
She requested that they be brought round to the Border Control Post (BCP) for further investigation.
The vehicles were brought round to the BCP where foul fish smelling water was found to be to leaking from the back of the vehicles and gushing out of one.
On questioning, the drivers became very defensive and refused to give print outs from the data loggers as to show the temperature records. One of the drivers quickly drove off attempting to leave the site, which was refused, and they were successfully returned to the BCP area of the IBF.
Once the leaking fish water subsided from the trailers, the vehicles were docked into the Porth Health inspection bays. On inspection, the lorry that was found to be gushing fish smelling water, the refrigeration did not appear to be switched on, the vehicle had no seal, broken boxes with dirty handprints and marks which also contained no ice.
Consequently, the fish was in a degraded and unacceptable state. This later a Trade in Animals and Related Products (TARP) regulation 20 notice being served.
Port health has since continued local surveillance on this company by calling in vehicles for inspection.
We have also been liaising with border force, providing intelligence due to the suspicion of people smuggling.
So well done to Sharon for her great sense of smell and for jumping into action brilliant work.