4th Report - UK-EU trade: towards a resilient border strategy
Select Committee
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
HC 1279
15 September 2025
Recommendations
9 results
2
Accepted in Part
Require Defra to publish a thorough review of BTOM implementation and quarterly port inspection rates by January 2026.
Recommendation
It is essential that Defra thoroughly reviews the implementation of the BTOM. Defra should commit to this review in its response to our Report, and the review must be published no later than January 2026. It should set out why …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, committing to improve understanding of inspection rates and variations across BCPs and to continue collecting inspection data, but does not commit to a new comprehensive public review by January 2026 or a specific approach/timescale for publishing quarterly inspection rates.
8
Accepted in Part
Require Defra to provide Sevington BCP lorry data, validate re-exported goods, and assess commercial sealing.
Recommendation
In an annex included in the response to this Report, Defra should provide us with the August and November 2024 figures relating to the number of lorries that were directed to Sevington Inland BCP for border checks and the number …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation, committing to provide further data on non-attendance at Sevington BCP by January 2026, and outlining the process for validating re-exported goods. It assesses commercial seals but rejects a legal mechanism due to potential for abuse and logistical challenges.
10
Accepted in Part
Require confirmation of disease commodity code database and a 24/7 IPAFFS update team.
Recommendation
In response to this Report, the Government should confirm that it has produced a list of pre-identified commodity codes for the top five notifiable diseases and provide a copy of this database containing the commodity codes in question to the …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, confirming that a dedicated digital team is in place to update IPAFFS 24/7. However, it declines to publicly share the list of commodity codes for notifiable diseases, citing exploitation risks, but confirms their identification is complete.
14
Accepted in Part
IPAFFS must ensure full interoperability with EU and local systems for border biosecurity.
Recommendation
Until a Common SPS Area is formally established, IPAFFS will remain the UK’s primary digital system for managing border biosecurity. It must therefore be capable of meeting the operational needs of all users and enforcement bodies, including importers, port health …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, committing to maintain and update IPAFFS and evaluate its feasibility for integration with EU systems, but rejects providing wider access to local authorities due to data concerns and defers specific integration commitments until EU negotiations.
15
Accepted in Part
Confirm real-time IPAFFS access for local authorities and publish digital interoperability roadmap.
Recommendation
In response to this Report, Defra should confirm it is taking steps to provide local authorities with real-time access to IPAFFS to support enforcement and traceability of consignments. Until the UK gains full access to EU systems, IPAFFS should be …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, committing to maintain and update IPAFFS and evaluate its integration with EU systems, but rejects giving wider access to local authorities due to data implications and cannot commit to pilot projects before EU negotiations commence.
19
Accepted in Part
Co-design BCP cost recovery mechanisms with industry and publish Sevington Inland BCP operational costs.
Recommendation
If the Government continues to operate a BCP within the common SPS area, any cost recovery mechanism must be co-designed with industry and should not disproportionately affect small and medium-sized enterprises. In the interest of transparency, the Government should publish …
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Government Response Summary
The government states the Common User Charge (CUC) was designed to minimise business impact and publishes estimated operating costs for Sevington BCP, committing to publish actual costs after the annual review, but doesn't explicitly commit to co-design future mechanisms with industry.
21
Accepted in Part
Adopt hybrid BCP/PoD plant inspection model and share biosecurity protocols for inland BCPs.
Recommendation
The Government should adopt the Horticultural Trades Association’s proposal for a hybrid inspection model, combining BCP and PoD approaches. Following a short consultation with industry, the Government should designate specific consignments eligible for PoD inspections. Additionally, APHA should share with …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects adopting a hybrid inspection model that includes PoDs, citing biosecurity and legislative reasons. However, it did provide the requested guidance on biosecurity protocols for inspecting multiple consignments at BCPs in an attached annex.
24
Accepted in Part
Potential Sevington BCP sale raises commitment concerns and creates local authority uncertainty.
Recommendation
Reports that the Government may be seeking to sell and repurpose the inland border control post at Sevington raises concerns about its ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving the facility while it remains operational. This demonstrates an assumption that an …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation, committing to maintain and improve the Sevington BCP in the interim and comply with the New Burdens Doctrine for local authorities, but defers clarity on the site's long-term future pending EU negotiations.
25
Accepted in Part
Clarify Sevington BCP future, commit to maintenance, and support affected local authorities financially.
Recommendation
The Government should publicly clarify its intentions regarding the future of Sevington BCP, including whether it plans to sell or repurpose the site. Regardless of any future SPS agreement, Defra should commit to maintaining the facility and improving the efficiency …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation, committing to maintain and improve the Sevington BCP in the interim and comply with the New Burdens Doctrine for local authorities, but defers clarity on the site's long-term future pending EU negotiations.
Conclusions (1) Observations and findings — click to expand
11
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
It is disappointing that it required persistent questioning from the Committee over a period of three months before the Department provided answers to all our questions regarding the initial response to foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in Europe. This reflected cultural and bureaucratic issues within Defra that impeded effective …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of understanding inspection rates and will work to improve its use of existing data and consider how it can be articulated publicly, while also emphasizing that border checks are not the primary mechanism for managing biosecurity risks; Defra commits to continue collecting inspection data at each port.