More jobs are set to be created in a vital team working in the Port of Liverpool ahead of the end of the year.
Liverpool Council's cabinet agreed this morning to accept funding just under £475,000 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which will allow it to hire more staff in its Port Health Service.
The team, which works within the port checking shipments coming into Liverpool, is set to see its workload increase drastically when the UK leaves the Brexit transition period at the end of this year.
New rules governing EU shipments coming into the UK are set to begin in phases throughout next year and will mean a sharp increase in the number of checks required at the Port of Liverpool.
Different rules for products of animal origin imported into the UK from the EU will come into force partially in April, with more following in July.
DEFRA predicts 23,000 checks per year will be required on shipments coming into Liverpool from the EU under the new regime.
Speaking briefly before cabinet agreed to accept the funding, deputy mayor Wendy Simon said it would be vital to help the port the deal with an increased workload post-Brexit.
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A report submitted to cabinet last week said the service was already under "immense strain" and that staffing will need to be at least doubled.
The report said: "The Port Health Service current staffing structure is already under immense strain due to current workload associated with delivering numerous statutory functions during a pandemic outbreak.
"The predicted increase will require a significant increase in staffing resources, office space, physical assets and ICT. Based on the DEFRA minimum scenario, the Port Health service will require a team more than double its current size, increasing the total staffing resources within the Port Health staffing structure from 15 to 34."
The council's cabinet approved the acceptance of the funding unanimously.
