Plan to move food checks from Dover met with opposition
Plans by the UK government to move checks for potentially dangerous foods entering the UK at the UK's most important ferry terminal in Dover to a facility in Sevington 22 miles away have been met with fierce criticism.
Dover port authorities have accused Defra of putting Britain’s biosecurity and public health at risk by moving controls. Concerns have been voiced over how these goods will be controlled during the 22-mile journey from the point of entry at Dover to Sevington.
Dover District Council and its Port Health Authority (DPHA) are urging the government to pause the plans with the threat of legal action. DPHA estimates that at least 3,500 consignments of produce a month, which need to be verified as safe, would be allowed to leave the port unescorted.
Spanish farmers put pressure on government
Following protests by farmers in Spain the Spanish Agricultural Minister has announced an immediate move to appease their complaints about the administrative burden they face, the minister agreed to scrap the requirement to implement the “digital notebook”.
The ‘digital notebook’ system was a mandatory tool for farmers to record their activities, such as pesticide use and irrigation.
The tool will now be voluntary and its adoption “will be encouraged” by incentives yet to be determined.
World food prices down in 2023
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) overall Food Price Index for 2023 showed a decline year-on-year in 2023 compared to 2022.
For 2023 as a whole, the index averaged 13.7% below year earlier levels, with only sugar prices higher over the period.
The largest price falls were in vegetable oils, with a 32.7% drop for the year as a whole.
The FAO's meat price index was down 1.8% year-on-year, while the dairy price index was down 16.1% from a year earlier.