Jobs are to be created in the South West as part of a £14million Government investment aimed at maintaining the UK’s high standards on imported animal products.
A total of 21 local authorities across England, including three in the South West, have been awarded funding by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (£105,991), Bristol City Council (£92,237) and Plymouth City Council (£58,924) are among those to benefit from the Port Health Transition Fund.
The cash has been distributed to local authorities in England on the basis of the declared requirements of the local authorities via a formal bidding process.
More than 500 new jobs will be created across the country to facilitate the new checks on imports of animal products from the EU from April 2021. The funding will be spent on recruiting staff, equipment and new systems.
Farming, fisheries and food minister Victoria Prentis said: “We are rightly proud of our high standards of animal and plant goods and we are determined to maintain them, while ensuring that operations at our ports continue to run smoothly.
“This funding will allow local authorities to play their part in maintaining standards and efficiency at our borders, while also providing investment in new jobs and infrastructure.”
The new checks will be introduced in a phased way, with documentary checks on animal products for human consumption starting from April 2021, followed by additional identity and physical checks at border control posts from July 2021.
Together with other checks on live animals, plants and plant products carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), the new port checks will safeguard public, animal and plant health, the Government said.
APHA, formerly known as the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and was formed in October 2014, when AHVLA was expanded by adding parts of the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), including the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI).
AHVLA had originally been established in April 2011 by a merger of two former agencies, Animal Health and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency.
The agency's main task is to protect the health and welfare of animals, as well as the general public, from disease. It conducts work across Great Britain on behalf of Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.
