North East Lincolnshire Council’s rapidly expanded port health team is working with colleagues in Norway, Iceland and the Faroes in preparation for new trading rules coming into force.
October 1 and January 1 are key dates covering seafood imports, and the team that has swelled from 20 to more than 50 has regularly been meeting online with industry representatives to share knowledge and experience ahead of the introduction of new controls.
They have also met with the 海角视频’s new ambassador to Iceland, Dr Bryony Mathew, to discuss readiness for the changes coming into force in the coming months.
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Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese fish imports are crucial to Grimsby’s seafood industry - one of the largest processing and trading clusters in the northern hemisphere, employing 6,000 people. alone supplies almost 75 per cent of the fish sold on the town's market.
The phased introduction of the new border operating model embraces the vital imports in the next stage, with EU and countries harmonised with the EU’s sanitary and phytosanitary standards, included.
The new rules mean that importers of certain food, feed and other products must provide certain documentation and be subject to risk-based checks before it can cross the border.
Commercial regulatory manager Neil Beeken described the council’s port health responsibilities and how the team is preparing for the rule changes.
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He said: “We were a team of 20 officers, covering food safety, port health and trading standards, but have expanded our team to over 50 for both export health certificate provision and upcoming import controls.
“We have worked closely with importers and exporters during the transition period and since then to make sure they understood what was required of them. This included training on new systems, issuing guidance documentation and making them aware of import controls.
“We also worked with a local business to create an export logistics hub – a facility in which smaller consignments / loads can be collected from around the 海角视频 and consolidated in one location, enabling small to medium sized enterprises to continue exporting by sharing the costs with others.”
The team has also worked with other local authorities and carried out trial runs with a border control post in France to check and review the process for issuing export health certificates for exports to the EU, for which controls have been in place since January 1.
Recently, the team shared their experiences of handling greater demands for export health certificates with equivalent authorities in Norway, Iceland and Faroes Islands, who are now preparing for the introduction of this requirement for imports into Great Britain from October 1.
Mr Beeken added: “The feedback from those taking part in the presentations was that it was incredibly useful.
“Like us, they are keen that the communication channels remain open, and we want to build on the initial session with more meetings in the run up to the October 1 changes. A significant proportion of fish supplies from those countries are imported to the 海角视频 via Immingham and we will be implementing import controls at the new border control post for Grimsby and Immingham ports, so building these relationships now will be crucial.”
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The meetings are facilitated by Defra and the Grimsby Seafood Cluster.
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Simon Dwyer, Grimsby Seafood Cluster director, said: "The Grimsby seafood processing and trading cluster values the work NELC Port Health team have been engaged with during the past 12 months and the future planning for October and January 2022 changes. Their willingness to knowledge share with senders of fish particularly, fresh fish from Iceland, Faroes and Norway is welcomed.”
It comes as businesses were urged to make sure they are ready.
Cllr Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “We’re preparing ourselves for the new rules on imports coming into force.
“Businesses who trade with the EU also need to be ready. Familiarise yourself with the changes coming in, there is an abundance of material available to help.
“We want to make the process as simple as possible for those that move food products through our area”
Those unsure are urged to contact the team by email at port.health@nelincs.gov.uk.
Cllr Shepherd added: “Our Port Health Team plays an essential role in the fish trade, the industry that Great Grimsby is internationally known for, making sure that we do all we can to keep businesses importing and exporting food and other products safely through our ports.
“Their ultimate role is to protect public, animal and environmental health on a local, national and international level by regulating imports and exports of food and feed.”
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