Costs to the GB food industry for the completion of EHCs by certifiers to export products of animal origin are now averaging around £5m pcm. So the CFA-led SPS Working Group was pleased to be invited to give evidence to the EFRA inquiry on the critical issues impacting on GB food and biosecurity by the Border Target Operating Model (CFA News 60, 61 & 62).
Its wide-ranging response commented on issues including the adequacy of controls on personal and commercial imports, with an increasing potential for illegal meat imports and fraudulent EHC certificates. The capacity of systems (in the UK and EU) to conduct the necessary checks is questioned, as is the communications performance of Defra and its agencies.
Ongoing uncertainty remains an issue – be it due to frequent policy changes or the lack of response to urgent business-critical industry queries. The submission finally refers to previous solutions suggested by the group. The full submission can be seen here.
April 2025