Ashford Port Health

Ashford Borough Council will provide a Port Health Service at the Sevington Inland Border Facility (IBF), starting in 2022. It is expected to be one of the biggest facilities in the UK. As a result of EU Transition, the council becomes responsible for checks on imports of products of animal origin (POAO), high-risk food not of animal origin (HRFNAO) and animal by-products (animal products not for human consumption) imported from the EU that transit into the UK via Eurotunnel. The site will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It is estimated that around 124,000 checks a year will be carried out at Sevington, which has been built on farmland alongside J10A of the M20. Around 130 staff are likely to be directly employed/engaged by the council. The service will be introduced from 1 January 2022. The requirements for pre-notification of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) goods, were introduced on 1 January 2022. The new requirements for Export Health Certific...