Contact Points for Port Health Authorities

28 May 2024

Contact points for consignments held at a BCP

If you receive notification about a consignment or load that has been called for checks or has been held at the Border Control Post at the port of entry and you have questions about this, contact the Port Health Authority (PHA) at your nominated BCP and provide them with the Common Health Entry Document (CHED) import reference number. Defra is working closely with all PHAs to ensure that they are able to respond to your queries.

Find your PHA contact details at your nominated BCP on this map.

Any urgent BTOM/import queries for plants and plant products across England and Wales should be directed to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), by email, in the first instance: phsi-importers@apha.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can contact them by telephone: +44 (0) 3000 200 301     

If you need technical help with IPAFFS you should call the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) helpline on 0330 041 6999 or email APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk

When your driver enters Sevington Inland Border Facility, they will need to tell the staff at the front booths that they are carrying import goods and are there for a Defra/Border Control Post (BCP) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) check and present the Goods Movement Reference (GMR) to the staff at the front booths.

Where possible, drivers should also carry and present the CHED reference number. Staff will then direct you to the Border Control Post (BCP) part of the site, to enable a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) check on the goods to take place. Doing this will avoid the delay associated with incorrectly being directed to the HMRC part of the site, before being redirected to the BCP.