Defra would like to reiterate to importers of tomato and pepper seed that consignments may be notified to an authorised Control Point (CP), as an alternative to a Border Control Post (BCP), for the completion of required import checks. Use of a CP can provide greater flexibility while laboratory test results are pending and may help minimise delays and costs associated with consignments remaining at the border.

A list of authorised Control Points for plant imports into the UK is available on gov.uk. Importers must have a commercial agreement in place with the chosen Control Point before they select it on IPAFFS and understand the operating hours and service level agreements.

 Businesses operating an authorised CP may, at their discretion, permit other businesses to use the facility for inspection purposes. Any such arrangements are commercial agreements between the parties involved. Defra does not oversee, approve or participate in these agreements. Businesses should ensure they have sufficient capacity and resources to accommodate any additional inspection activity before authorising use of their facilities by others.