Portsmouth (Portsmouth Commercial Port and Ferry Port)

The bulk of food imported into Portsmouth entered through the Commercial port and mainly consisted of fruit and lower risk products.

The Authority's approach to imported food control was risk based and there were effective liaison arrangements in place with port operators, HM Customs and Excise, shipping agents and other interested parties. All commercial manifests were being checked to identify all declared consignments of food arriving at the commercial quays.

The Authority had also recognised that limited consignments of goods that may not have received prior inspection on point of entry into the European Union were entering the ferry port. Informal arrangements were in place for HM Customs and Excise to notify the Authority of the arrival of certain types of these consignments.

The Authority had generally adopted a practical and effective informal approach to resolving imported food issues. Some procedural guidance on imported food law enforcement activity had been developed. However, this needed to be expanded to include all relevant information and guidance.