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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to expedite the (a) rollout of the Authorised Operator Status (AOS) and (b) a POD+ (Place of Destination) system for the trade of high-risk plants.

The Authorised Operator Status (AOS) pilot ran for 6 months and ended in Dec 2024. The evaluation stage is complete and Ministers are considering the findings. We will update stakeholders when a decision has been made.

The Place of Destination (POD) scheme ended in April 2024. It was only ever intended to be a temporary solution and Defra does not intend to re-instate it. Moving controls to Border Control Posts (BCPs) and Control Points is vital to achieving the biosecurity aims of the BTOM, by increasing the percentage of consignments we are able to inspect.

BCPs are designed to handle high volumes of imported SPS goods and offer extended opening hours with staff working shifts on site to carry out reliable checks which minimise friction on traffic flow. Most BCPs can process six or more vehicles at the same time with ample space to remove or inspect products. Checks at BCPs are handled by trained staff working to standard operating procedures, ensuring inspections are undertaken safely and efficiently.