Committee publication · Correspondence · 14 April 2026
Correspondence from the Ashford Borough Council Corporate Director for Port Health and Public Protection regarding Sevington BCP and UK-EU SPS negotiations, dated 1st April 2026
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Animal and plant health
Summary
Anthony Baldock, Director of Port Health and Public Protection at Ashford Borough Council, writes to oppose EFRA Committee proposals to remove or reduce UK sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on EU goods and align UK SPS policy dynamically with the EU. He argues that such changes would undermine border biosecurity, waste operational gains in AI-enabled automation at Sevington, expose the UK to animal disease risks, and cause job losses in deprived Kent communities.
Key findings
- Ashford Port Health has achieved significant operational improvements through AI-enabled automation and intelligence-led targeting, representing progress toward a single window border control system that would be lost under SPS removal.
- DEFRA's proposed removal of all EU SPS controls by 2027 contradicts evidence of unfit meat and animal-health risks from EU imports; the UK maintains higher standards than the EU for animal disease control.
- The Channel Tunnel lacks equivalent biosecurity controls to Dover despite publicized successes in tackling illegal food imports, creating significant vulnerability to diseases such as African Swine Fever.
- Dover Port Health received £3.2 million in funding this financial year while Ashford received no comparable funding, despite being operationally capable of undertaking essential control functions.
- Removal of biosecurity checks would cause loss of hundreds of skilled jobs in Kent's already deprived coastal communities, with long-term irreversible socioeconomic damage.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Anthony Baldock, Ashford Borough Council, Ashford Port Health, DEFRA, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Alistair Carmichael MP, Food Standards Agency, Dover Port Health Authority
Notable line
“It would be a dreadful shame to lose this capability just as it becomes achievable.”
Key Quotes
“From the standpoint of border biosecurity, public health, animal health, and the resilience of the UK's import control system, such a direction presents serious and well ‑ evidenced risks.”
“This shows the UK has higher standards than the EU and is more successful in controlling animal disease for which we should be proud of and resist lowering the bar.”
“Ashford Borough Council has achieved major advances in modernising SPS checks through AI ‑ enabled automation. These achievements have transformed border ‑ checking capability, strengthened intelligence ‑ led targeting, and improved resilience.”
“… the practical reality remains that there are currently minimal to no equivalent controls on illegal food imports entering through the Channel Tunnel.”
“The likely loss of hundreds of skilled, stable jobs would be a severe and disproportionate blow to the local community …”
“To dilute that advantage now would be both short ‑ sighted and unsafe.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗