Port Health

Dover Port Health Authority

Import of Organic Products

FACT SHEET 2: 14/12/2005

REVISED PROCEDURE FORM: IMPORTATION OF ORGANIC FOODSTUFFS (FROM THIRD COUNTRIES)

The Organic Products (Imports from Third Countries) Regulations 2003 is the UK legislation which gives the authorities enforcing the Commission Regulation power to control the movement of organic products from third countries. A copy can be found at http://www.hmsogov.uk/si/si2003/20032821.htm

Following considerable consultation with DEFRA (Organic Imports Branch) and other Port Health Authorities, it has been made clear to us that we should be insisting that consignments are correctly pre-notified to us as outlined by the Regulations.

Due to the short lead time of goods arriving at the port of Dover (Ro-Ro traffic), Dover Port Health Authority have successfully negotiated on your behalf a shorter pre-notification period of at least 6 hours (during the working day of the port health office) as opposed to the previous 24 hours (which is the legal requirement at UK sea ports).

Because a Certificate of Inspection needs to be endorsed before organic produce are released into free circulation, importers of organic produce are required by UK legislation to give advance notice in writing of the arrival of a consignment as well as providing a copy of the original Certificate of Inspection. In essence this means that you will need to get both the pre notification and certificate to us no later than 6 hours before the arrival of the goods. Organic consignments that have not been pre-notified to us, USING THE PROCEDURE DETAILED BELOW will not have their Certificates of Inspection endorsed by Dover Port Health Authority.

The Organic Products (Imports from Third Countries) Regulations 2003 makes it an offence to contravene the regulation relating to the advanced notification of organic consignments and such contraventions shall be reported to the appropriate Trading Standards department and DEFRA (Organic Farming Branch) who will take the action they consider necessary, which may result in:

Destruction, re-export or removal of organic reference
Withdraw concession to receive notification by fax for the particular importer;
Withdraw concession to receive notification by fax for all importers or
Withdraw all import authorisations for the particular importer

Procedure for Pre-notification and endorsement of Organic Imports through the Port of Dover

If you are an importer and/or an agent handling an organic import, which has not been endorsed by a Port Health Authority, you must:

Pre-notify Dover Port Health Authority Monday-Friday 8.30- 17.00 at least 6 hours before the goods arrive by completing the Dover Port Health Authority electronic pre-notification form at www.dover.gov.uk/porthealth. If you have not used this form before please refer to FACTSHEET 1 attached for guidance. You will be prompted to confirm if the entry is your 6-hour pre-notification, once completed, submit. You will then receive a confirmation email of your entry (at the email address you provided when you registered). Print this confirmation email.
Copy both sides of the original organic Certificate of Inspection and fax it with your confirmation email from Dover Port Health Authority to 01304 872416 at least 6 hours in advance of its arrival.
Dover Port Health Authority will only when in receipt of the above documentation, conduct the documentary verification, which consists of accessing the secure DEFRA website and database of import authorisations to check whether an import authorisation has been granted under Article 11 (6) to the importer, checking boxes 1 to 15 of the Certificate of Inspection to ensure they have been correctly and fully completed and that the details on the authorisation match those on the Certificate of Inspection. If Dover Port Health Authority are satisfied that the Certificate is complete and matches the information on the database they will temporarily endorse the copy Certificate of Inspection with the following statement “ (date), This certificate is endorsed as a copy pending the arrival of the original certificate within 5 days from today the (date)” signed and dated by the Port Health Officer. This copy will then be faxed back within 6 hours (Monday-Friday 8:30-17:00 hours)
Submit a copy of your confirmation email from Dover Port Health Authority and your signed and dated copy of the Certificate of Inspection to HMR&C as part of your entry.
Within 5 working days submit by post the original Certificate of Inspection, marked Private and Confidential to:
Port Health
Dover District Council
White Cliffs Business Park
Dover
Kent CT16 3PJ.

Please ensure you include instruction and the address of where you wish the original document to be dispatched.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER

If Dover Port Health are not correctly notified (as outlined in the procedure outlined above) of an organic import at least 6 hours in advance of its arrival the Certificate of Inspection will not be endorsed by Dover Port health Authority and the forwarding authority and DEFRA will be notified.

If Dover Port health Authority have TEMPORARILY endorsed a copy certificate of Inspection and do not receive the ORIGINAL Certificate of Inspection within 5 working days, the Certificate of Inspection will not be endorsed by Dover Port Health Authority and DEFRA (Organic Farming Branch) and the appropriate Trading Standards department will be notified of the foodstuffs which if marketed as ‘organic’ would be an offence.

You are required to notify Dover Port Health Authority by completing an electronic pre-notification entry at www.dover.gov.uk/porthealth of ALL FOOD IMPORTS OF NON ANIMAL ORIGIN FROM THIRD COUNTRIES you are handling (REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE ORGANIC OR NOT).

Contact Port Health....

Head Office
Port Health
Health Protection
Public Protection Section
White Cliffs Business Park
Dover
Kent
CT16 3PJ

Telephone: 01304 872216
Main Switchboard: 01304 821199
Fax: 01304 872416
E-mail: porthealth@dover.gov.uk