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Food importers avoiding Calais, says federation

[ August 19, 2016   //   ]

Freight movements through Calais are being severely disrupted by stowaways, says the Food Storage and Distribution Federation. The situation at the port is getting increasingly worse, with a reported 6000 immigrants trying to cross to the UK, warns federation chief executive, Chris Sturman.

The trade body which represents the food logistics industry says that some of its memebrs have stopped receiving any goods through Calais due to the level of damage and contimnation to sensitive food cargoes.
He adds: “Companies are also having to spend time and money on more complex, secure vehicles with features such as hidden doors and lockable areas, adding significant costs to their business.
“This issue is not going away any time soon. With the threat of the end of the Touquet agreement and migrants looking at other opportunities to enter the UK, there is a lot of uncertainty and the industry has to adapt alongside the increasingly risky, dangerous and desperate attempts by the migrants to get onboard their vehicles.”

FSDF is working with the Home Office, UK Border Force, Food Standards Agency, Fresh Produce Consortium and other industry bodies to find solutions and is part of a Food Standards Agency initiative to produce a guide to help all those in the food supply chain to manage food safety and quality.
It says that the Vehicle Accreditation Scheme has helped but will not totally deal with the problem, until all vehicles and drivers are required to reach its standards.

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