Tyne Port Health

You must notify Products of Animal Origin (POAO) from the EU travelling on the DFDS ferry route (Amsterdam to Newcastle) via IPAFFs

EU POAO (human consumption and non-human consumption) and fishery products must be Pre-notified at least 24 hours before the consignment is due in port, otherwise a late fee may apply (72 hours pre-notifications for consignments due to arrive on Saturdays and Sundays).  Failure to do so may result in consignments being held  

Pre-notification must be made through IPAFFs - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-of-products-animals-food-and-feed-system

Select BCP - Port of Tyne - North Shields - GBTYN08 for EU POAO (human consumption and non-human consumption) and Fishery products imports transported via the DFDS (Amsterdam to Newcastle) ferry route

Please visit  -  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-or-move-food-and-drink-from-the-eu-an...

for up to date information on importing POAO into the UK.

The Official Feed and Food Controls (England) Regulations 2009 (as amended) apply to products of non-animal origin being imported into England from third countries (non-EU countries). This includes foods such as vegetables, cereals, nuts, mushrooms, fruit, and products made from these.  Tyne Port Health Authority is approved to accept ambient high risk food not of animal origin from 3rd Countries 

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2019/1793 imposes increased levels of official controls on certain feed and food of non-animal origin.

Consignments of foodstuffs referred to in Annex 1 of Regulation (EC) No 2019/1793 (as amended) may only be imported into Tyne in accordance with procedures laid down in the legislation, these include;

• Importers must give adequate prior notification of the estimated date and time of physical arrival of the consignment.
• Importers must complete Part 1 of the Common Health Entry Document (CHED) via IPAFFs at least one working day prior to the physical arrival of the consignment.
• Select BCP - Tyne - GBTYN4P when pre-notifying ambient high risk food not of animal origin imports from 3rd Countries 

Documentary checks will be carried out on all consignments within 2 working days from the time of arrival, and identity and physical checks will be carried out randomly at intervals as specified in Annex 1.

All costs resulting from official controls, including sampling, analysis, and any measures taken following non-compliance, shall be borne by the food business operator. Additional charges may apply from the port operator to produce a container for examination and for the storage of the goods. Food business operators should contact the port operator for clarification of these charges.  

Further information can be found on the food standards agency website about importing high risk food not of animal origin from 3rd Countries - 

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/importing-high-risk-food-and-f...

Further information regarding charges levied by Tyne port health Authority can be found in the inspection fees section 

All consignments of organic produce imported from outside the EU into the UK must be accompanied by a Certificate of Inspection. You must pre-notify the Port Health Authority at least 24 hours prior to the goods arriving.

You will need to provide

• The original COI, or PDF copy of the COI
• Copies of commercial documents (invoice, bill of lading, and packing list)

Once the Port Health Authority confirms the COI’s validity, and import charges have been paid, the COI will be endorsed and the goods can go to customs for final clearance to move into free circulation.

Information regarding charges for organic imports can be found in the inspection fees section 

Imports of marine caught fishery products are controlled through a system of checks aimed at making sure that any fish being imported was caught legally, by fishing vessels that are properly managed by the country to which they are registered.  In order to prove that an imported consignment is compliant with these rules, it must be accompanied by a catch certificate issued by the government who manages the fishing vessel.

The Sea Fishing (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing) Order 2009 (No. 3391) makes the checking of catch certificates at River Tyne the responsibility of Tyne Port Health Authority.  Sea Fisheries officers of the Marine and Management Organisation (MMO) also have powers under the Order and Port Health work closely with them and Defra (the overall policy holder) to ensure that controls are properly applied.

you can now pre-notify us using IPAFFS from the 25th April 2024

Documents Required

All imports of fish and fish products from the EU will need to submit the following

• Catch certificates
• Processing statement – where fish is processed in a country that is not the same as the flag country of the catching vessel.
• Storage document – where fish has been stored in a country that is not the flag state of the catching vessel or processing state, then evidence of storage is required. This should consist of documented evidence or a specific form, to show that the product was stored and remained under the surveillance of the competent authority in that third country.

Importers declaration section must be completed on the Catch Certificate by the importer or their representative. As an alternative a Multiple Catch Certificate Summary Document can be downloaded, completed, signed and submitted with the catch certificate documentation.

Submission of documents should be made via IPAFFs, at least 3 days prior to arrival of the goods to enable endorsement of certificates and timely release of your container/trailer

Further information is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-or-moving-fish-to-the-uk

Exemptions

Annex 1 of the regulations lists the exemptions from the above controls, which includes aquaculture and fresh water fish. If your import is exempt from controls, please provide a statement detailing the consignment and confirming the reason for the exemption.

Low risk imports are defined as;

EEA/EFTA country (Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands).
Country with a bilateral agreement with the EU for IUU purposes (USA, Canada, New Zealand), e.g. fish caught by a US fishing vessel and processed in a US approved establishment.

High risk imports are defined as;

• fish caught by other third country fishing vessel.
• fish from EU/bilateral/EEA/EFTA countries that have been processed in a third country (indirectly imported), e.g. fish caught by a US fishing vessel and processed in a Vietnamese approved establishment.
• Fish caught by a vessel registered to an EU/EFTA/bilateral country and subsequently processed in another third country loses its low risk status and is charged at the higher rate.

Information regarding charges can be found in the inspection fees section 

According to retained Commission Decision 2007/275/EC, a composite product:

• is a foodstuff intended for human consumption that contains both processed POAO and products of plant origin
• includes those where the processing of primary products is an integral part of the production of the final product
• An example of a composite product could be a ready meal lasagne, or a packaged chicken Caesar salad.

Products exempt from Official Controls 

Certain composite products are exempt from official controls at the border. These are referred to in Article 6 of retained EU Decision 2007/275/EC, as amended by retained Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2007.

Products which are not subject to veterinary checks include: sweets, chocolate which contains <50% processed dairy products, pasta which contains <50% processed egg products, bread, cakes, and biscuits which contain <20% processed egg or dairy products. 

From 1st July 2011, any polyamide or melamine kitchenware originating in or consigned from China and Hong Kong must be declared and pre-notified at the Border Control Post (BCP) at least two working days before the estimated arrival date of the consignment.

For each consignment, the following documentation must be submitted to Tyne Port Health Authority:

• A declaration 
• A laboratory report confirming the product does not release into food primary aromatic amines in detectable quantities and formaldehyde in a quantity exceeding the specific migration limit of 15 milligrams per kilogram

Examples of polyamide kitchenware include cooking spatulas, slotted spoons and turners and examples of melamine kitchenware include picnic sets, plates, bowls, cups and trays.

Tyne Port Health Authority will accept all documents electronically and originals will only be requested in cases where there is some ambiguity with the electronic copies, such as poor quality photographs.

There is a requirement to randomly sample 10% of all consignments and where sampling is to be carried out the importer will be informed at the earliest opportunity. The consignment will be detained at the port until official controls have been completed.

All costs resulting from official controls, including documentary checks, sampling, analysis, and any measures taken following non-compliance, shall be borne by the food business operator. Additional charges may apply from the port operator to produce a container for examination and for the storage of the goods. Food business operators should contact the port operator for clarification of these charges.

Information regarding charges can be found in the inspection fees section

Under international health regulations seagoing vessels must receive a ship sanitation inspection at least every 6 months. This inspection includes a food safety element, an assessment of infectious disease controls, an assessment of the ship’s pest free status, sanitation and waste disposal facilities. Welfare provisions for crews are also considered during an inspection.

Ship sanitation inspections are carried out either at the request of the ship’s Master or agent due to the expiry of their present ship sanitation certificate or as part of other risk based ship inspections.

Tyne Port Health Authority will respond to all requests for ship sanitation inspections. Please refer to our inspection fees section for current charges for ship inspections.

The Association of Port Health Authorities (APHA) recommended to its members a standard charging regime for the issue of Ship Sanitation Exemption and Ship Sanitation Control Certificates. At Tyne Port Health Authority we have adopted these standard charges

Water supplies on merchant ships should be potable and should not contain anything that is likely to cause sickness or injury to health. Potable water includes fresh water intended for drinking, washing, bathing and showering; for handling, preparing and cooking food; and for cleaning food storage and preparation areas, utensils and equipment.

Waterborne infections include gastrointestinal infections, which may lead to diarrhoeal illness and can come from a variety of bacteria and viruses; Legionella, which may cause Legionnaires Disease – a serious pneumonic disease; and Pseudomonas, a surface colonising bacteria that can heavily contaminate pipes, hoses and pools, and can cause folliculitis, ear and sinus infections.

Tyne Port Health Authority provides advice about the frequency and type of water examination and analysis that may be carried out depending upon the use of vessel. The Authority can also carry out water sampling on request. 

To book water sampling, please notify us 

We can sample Monday to Thursday 

Unfortunately we are unable to carry out sampling on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

Information regarding charges can be found in the inspection fees section 

Tyne Port Health Authority inspection fees 1st April 2024

please call 0191 643 6100 to make payment for imported food checks 

Our fees are subject to review.