Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the compliance of (a) people and (b) vehicles told to go to the Border Control Post at Sevington for checks.

Due to the intelligence led and dynamic nature of our biosecurity controls and to ensure operations are not impacted, we are unable to share data on Sanitary and phytosanitary checks.

Consignments called to Sevington for an inspection will have completed the necessary customs declarations and pre-notifications. These goods will not be legally cleared for sale or use within the UK until they have attended and been cleared at the Border Control Post (BCP).

Where the BCP has concerns, for example due to non-attendance, there are existing robust provisions for contacting the person responsible for the load, if it is then not possible for the goods to proceed to the BCP then the goods to be referred for inland controls by the local authority, enforceable through the data collected through those customs declarations and pre-notification.