Veterinary Border Controls

Veterinary border controls are an essential part of national systems for protecting animal health, public health and food safety and preventing the introduction of animal diseases and unsafe products through international trade.

Food Control Consultants Ltd (FCC) provides specialist advice to governments and competent authorities on the development, assessment and operation of veterinary border-control systems for live animals and products of animal origin.

FCC’s expertise combines knowledge of legislation and international trade requirements with practical experience of border-control procedures, inspection facilities, official controls and the implementation of European Union requirements.

An Integrated Border-Control System

Effective veterinary border controls depend on considerably more than the construction of an inspection facility.

The system must bring together:

legislation and regulatory requirements;
designation and powers of the competent authority;
import conditions and certification;
notification and documentary procedures;
identity and physical checks;
inspection and sampling facilities;
laboratory support;
procedures for compliant and non-compliant consignments;
information and record-management systems;
coordination with customs and other border authorities;
appropriately trained personnel; and
supervision and verification of the control system.

FCC can assess these components individually or as part of the complete national veterinary import-control system.

Legislation and Regulatory Framework

Veterinary border controls require a clear legal basis establishing the conditions under which animals and products of animal origin may enter the country and the powers available to the competent authority. FCC can assist with the assessment, development and implementation of legislation covering:

import conditions;
veterinary and health certification;
advance notification of consignments;
documentary, identity and physical checks;
sampling and laboratory examination;
detention and storage;
rejection and other measures for non-compliant consignments;
re-dispatch, treatment or destruction where appropriate;
fees and charges;
enforcement powers; and
responsibilities of importers and other operators.

Legislation must be supported by practical procedures that enable officials at the border to apply these requirements consistently.

Import Procedures and Official Controls

FCC can assist competent authorities in developing and assessing operational procedures for veterinary checks on imported consignments.

These may include:

pre-notification and arrival procedures;
verification of certificates and accompanying documentation;
documentary checks;
identity checks;
physical examination;
sampling;
laboratory testing;
recording of inspection findings;
decisions on consignments;
release procedures;
procedures for non-compliance;
communication with customs and other authorities; and
reporting, supervision and follow-up.

The objective is to establish controls that are effective, consistent and proportionate to the animal-health and public-health risks involved.

Border Control Facilities

The design and operation of the physical inspection facility are critical for veterinary border controls to be effective. FCC can assess existing facilities or advise on the planning and development of new or upgraded facilities. Assessment may cover:

location and access;
separation of different categories of consignments;
unloading and inspection areas;
examination facilities;
temperature-controlled storage;
facilities for live animals where applicable;
sampling areas;
hygiene and cleaning arrangements;
staff and administrative facilities;
handling of detained or rejected consignments;
waste and animal by-product management;
biosecurity; and
flows of consignments, personnel and documentation.

The design should reflect the type and volume of traffic expected at the border point rather than applying a standard solution irrespective of local needs.

Products of Animal Origin

Veterinary import controls cover a wide range of products with different public-health and animal-health risks.

FCC’s expertise includes controls relating to products such as:

meat and meat products;
milk and dairy products;
fish and fishery products;
eggs and other products of animal origin;
animal by-products;
feed materials of animal origin; and
other regulated consignments.

Different products may require different import conditions, inspection arrangements, storage facilities, sampling procedures and laboratory support.

International Catering Waste

Veterinary border controls may also apply to international catering waste (ICW) from aircraft, ships and other international transport. Where catering waste contains or may contain products of animal origin, it can be subject to specific animal-health and biosecurity controls governing its handling, transport and disposal.

FCC has undertaken specialist work on the regulation and management of international catering waste, including a recent study for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) examining regulatory approaches, animal-health risks and the practical implications of existing controls for international aviation.

Read more: International Catering Waste and Animal By-Products

Live Animals

Importation of live animals presents particular animal-health and welfare considerations.

Border-control systems may need to address:

animal-health certification;
disease status and import conditions;
identity verification;
clinical examination;
sampling and testing;
quarantine requirements;
animal welfare during transport and handling;
facilities for unloading and examination;
movement following entry; and
procedures where disease or non-compliance is suspected.

These controls need to operate in close coordination with the wider national animal-health, disease-surveillance and movement-control systems.

Sampling and Laboratory Support

Laboratory examination may form an important part of veterinary import controls.

FCC can assist in ensuring that sampling procedures, laboratory arrangements and border-control decisions operate as an integrated system.

This can include procedures for sample collection, identification and transport, selection of appropriate laboratories, communication of results, detention of consignments pending results and action following unsatisfactory findings.

Non-Compliant Consignments

A border-control system must be prepared not only to inspect compliant trade but also to deal effectively with consignments that fail to meet import requirements.

Clear procedures should establish how authorities respond to:

incorrect or missing certification;
identity discrepancies;
unsatisfactory physical checks;
positive laboratory findings;
animal-health risks;
food-safety risks; and
other breaches of import conditions.

FCC can assist with procedures governing detention, official decisions, re-dispatch, treatment, destruction and other corrective or enforcement measures.

Training and Capacity Building

Border controls require personnel with a combination of regulatory knowledge and practical inspection skills.

FCC can provide training for official veterinarians, inspectors, managers and other personnel involved in veterinary import controls.

Training may cover:

import legislation;
certification;
documentary checks;
identity and physical checks;
sampling;
inspection procedures;
handling non-compliant consignments;
biosecurity;
record keeping;
communication with other border authorities; and
supervision and verification of controls.

Training can be combined with practical assessment of the border facility and its operating procedures.

EU and EEA Veterinary Border Controls

FCC has particular experience with the European system of veterinary border controls and the requirements applied to imports of live animals and products of animal origin from third countries.

This experience includes assessment of implementation, inspection of border-control facilities, development of procedures and training, as well as experience connected with the establishment of veterinary border controls at the external border of the EEA.

FCC can therefore assist authorities both with the implementation of European requirements and with the development of national import-control systems drawing on relevant European principles and experience.

Border Controls and International Market Access

Import controls form part of the wider SPS and veterinary control system of a country.

They are closely connected with animal-health status, food-safety controls, certification, laboratories, traceability and international trade.

FCC therefore considers veterinary border controls within the broader regulatory system rather than as an isolated activity at the point of entry.

This experience is also relevant when assisting countries seeking access to international markets, where the effectiveness of national import controls may form part of the assessment of the country’s overall competent-authority and control system.

From Assessment to Operation

FCC can support development of veterinary border controls throughout the process:

Legal Framework → System Design → Facility Planning → Procedures → Equipment → Training → Implementation → Verification

Assignments may range from assessment of a single border facility to development or review of a national veterinary import-control system.

Contact FCC

Contact Food Control Consultants Ltd to discuss assistance with veterinary border-control systems, import legislation and procedures, border facility assessment and design, staff training or implementation of EU and international veterinary import requirements.