Business, Forwarding, Freight News, Logistics


PML Seafrigo berates lack of progress on plant health plans

[ May 8, 2025   //   ]

Perishables logistics operator PML Seafrigo chief executive Mike Parr has described a parliamentary session with Baroness Hayman on the proposed introduction of plant health border checks for fresh produce and plants as “incredibly disappointing”.

He says it was yet another painful example of the government’s failure to understand the critical issues that the sector faces and seemed to ignore requests for urgent responses to questions that have been raised.

Throughout the meeting it was evident that despite the upcoming 1 July deadline for the start of checks, logistics operators had not been given with any further reassurances or clarity over key concerns that have been raised on numerous occasions over the last five months.

Parr says a major issue was the lack of preparedness at the Sevington border station near Dover to deal with the checks; the effective creation of a monopoly at the government border control point which operates on a 24-hour working day, but only offering checks between 9am and 5pm at privately owned border control posts; the failure to provide a definitive list of fruits and vegetables deemed to be within the Medium Risk A&B categories which will be subject to the checks; failure to confirm Common User Charge fees for 2025/26 and the ongoing “evaluation” of the Approved Operator Status scheme which companies such as PML Seafrigo invested in as far back as 2023.

Parr adds that while the Fresh Produce Consortium’s chief executive Nigel Jenney has regularly advised the government on viable solutions, matters have not advanced since the end of December, when the original 1January deadline was extended.

He also takes issue with repeated statements by the government  that the industry is not ready which, he says, implies that it has not taken on board recommendations, saying: “Far from it, as a sector we’ve been incredibly agile in our feedback on the proposed checks, repeatedly putting forward well thought out options to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.”

He concludes: “It is the government that is not ready and will not listen to the people working at the coalface. It will be the government that is the direct cause of the likely catastrophic hike in food prices based on the lack of availability of essential fresh produce.

“We need customers to join us in making our voice heard. We need the public to rally against the government’s inertia and constant stalling tactics, especially with regard to the rollout of the Approved Operator Status scheme.

“Allow the industry to help fix the problems. Time is running out. We need action now.”

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