Tendring (Harwich International Port)

Checks carried out by the Authority until April 2003 had indicated that no third country NPOAO food imports entered Harwich International Port following establishment of the single European market in 1993. The Authority had therefore not implemented a control system at the Port, however, plans for a considerable expansion of the Port and trade activity were under active consideration.

Further investigations undertaken by the Authority and the Agency prior to the audit indicated that low levels of NPOAO food imports from third countries had been received at Harwich. In response to this finding, the Authority was beginning to strengthen liaison arrangements with various agencies connected with the Port, in order to determine the scope of the imported food trade and to establish a proportionate control regime.

The Port is designated for the import of high risk foods subject to EC and domestic emergency control provisions. The Authority was unaware of its statutory responsibilities to enforce these requirements or the nature of the product and country specific controls.

The officers with designated responsibility for imported food control duties did not have recent experience of this area of work. It is therefore essential that up to date procedural guidance and all relevant reference documents, official guidance and legislation are made available to officers to enable them to take effective and consistent enforcement action. Some training in this area had already been provided, which included officer visits to shadow active port enforcement authorities.

The Authority was aware that officers were not fully authorised to enforce all relevant imported food control legislation and a review of the authorisation arrangements was in hand.