On April 30, the United Kingdom implemented border inspection measures for fresh food products imported into the country from the European Union.

The new requirements require exporters of EU animal and plant products (including chilled seafood and frozen meat, dairy products and some cut flowers) to present an Export Health Certificate (EHC) to UK authorities on entry. The checks also include visual inspections of the goods and temperature measurements, both of which are necessary to prevent disease and pests from entering the UK border.

The U.K. government said that because the program is still in its infancy, goods with the highest biosecurity risk will be prioritized, although customs officials will rapidly increase inspection rates and high levels of compliance.

“We must deploy these global risk-based inspections. In addition to country-of-origin-specific risks, they are categorized according to the inherent risk the commodity poses to animal health, food safety, biosecurity and public health. Lucy Neville-Rolfe, minister for the UK Cabinet Office, said low-risk goods such as canned salmon do not require health certificates or routine border checks. “We cannot continue with ad hoc measures that expose the UK to the threat of disease and could cause significant damage to our livelihoods, economy and agricultural sector.”

To cover the cost of the new systems and controls, the UK has imposed a general user fee on imports passing through the port of Dover and Eurotunnel border checkpoints in the south-eastern country.

Some domestic businesses are concerned that the increased paperwork and cost per shipment for EU exporters will affect small retailers and wholesalers in the UK. Consumers have been warned that specialty goods will be less available, fresh produce will be less available and prices will rise.