Border Control Post (BCP) Operating Hours and Service Level Agreement (SLA)
From 30 April 2024, as laid out in the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), the checks of high-risk plants and plant products moved from Place of Destinations (PoDs) to Border Control Posts (BCPs) or Control Points (CPs). Medium-risk plant and plant products are now subject to border checks at BCPs or CPs.
In the table below are the operating hours for plant health and seed inspections at individual BCPs across England. These hours include sites already designated and operational. If you import medium or high-risk plants and plant products you will need to ensure that any consignment subject to inspections at the GB border, that is those categorised as high-risk and medium-risk A, are brought in within these designated operating hours.
Please note this page relates to BCPs only. There is a separate SLA including operating hours for Control Points, which can be found here.
7-day operating model
|
Name of premises |
Hours of cover per day |
Operating hours |
Permanent presence (during operational hours) |
|
East Midlands Airport Sites |
12 |
07:00-19:00 |
N |
|
Felixstowe 72 Shed |
18 |
06:00-00:00 |
Y |
|
Gatwick Airport Sites |
18 |
06:00-00:00 |
N |
|
Harwich International Port |
24 |
24h |
Y |
|
Heathrow Airport Sites |
18 |
06:00-00:00 |
Y |
|
Immingham & Grimsby |
18 |
06:00-00:00 |
N |
|
Killingholme |
18 |
06:00-00:00 |
Y |
|
Portsmouth International |
18 |
06:00-00:00 |
N |
|
Sevington |
24 |
24h |
Y |
|
Tilbury - Tilbury 2 (RoRo Terminal) |
12 |
07:00-19:00 |
Y |
Monday-Friday operating model (* Sat-Sun rota)
|
Name of premises |
Hours of cover per day |
Operating hours |
Permanent presence (during operating hours) |
|
Birmingham Airport Sites |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Bristol BCP* |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
HES Humber Bulk Terminal |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Heysham |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Liverpool – Maritime Centre* |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Liverpool 2 – RoRo* |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
London Gateway Port (DP World)* |
12 |
07:00 - 19:00 |
Y |
|
Luton Airport* |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Port of Silloth |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Port of Tyne* |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Seaforth Grain Terminal (Liverpool) |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Southampton (DPWorld) |
9 |
07:00-16:00 |
N |
|
Stansted Airport Sites |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Teesside International Airport |
9 |
08:00 - 17:00 |
N |
|
Tilbury - Berth 39 (Container Port)* |
12 |
07:00 - 19:00 |
Y |
As needed (up to 7 days) operating model
|
Name of premises |
Hours of cover per day |
Operating hours |
Permanent presence (during operational hours) |
|
Dover Cargo (Port of Dover) |
12 |
07:00-19:00 |
N |
|
Hull BCP |
12 |
as needed within 07:00-19:00 |
N |
|
London Thames port |
12 |
as needed within 07:00-19:00 |
N |
|
Manchester Airport Sites |
12 |
09:00-21:00 |
Y |
|
Newhaven Port |
12 |
as needed within 07:00-19:00 |
N |
|
Plymouth |
n/a |
as needed |
N |
|
Poole Harbour |
12 |
as needed within 07:00-19:00 |
N |
|
Portico Shipping Ltd |
12 |
as needed within 07:00-19:00 |
N |
|
Purfleet |
12 |
as needed within 07:00-19:00 |
N |
|
Sheerness |
12 |
as needed within 07:00-19:00 |
N |
BCP Inspection Service Level Agreement (SLA)
The inspection SLA defines the time in which consignments that cannot be inspected are released from plant health control. The SLA applies from the time the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has access to the consignment, i.e. when the goods are presented to an inspector, not when the consignment lands in GB. This is because APHA has no control over the latter, which is determined by transport and warehouse operations, for example.
For all BCPs in England (excluding deep-sea unaccompanied container freight), APHA will aim to inspect consignments within four working hours of accessing the consignment.
|
Point of entry |
SLA time |
|
Airports |
4 hrs |
|
Deep sea unaccompanied container freight |
24 hrs |
|
Ro-Ro ports |
4 hrs |
|
Rail terminals |
4 hrs |
Importers should ensure that the pre-notification arrival time is as accurate as possible to allow APHA utmost efficiency to inspect the goods at the BCP. Imports should also be aware that if goods are presented for inspection later in the day, they may be held over until the following morning. For example, where operating hours are from 9am – 5pm and the goods arrive at 3pm, APHA has two hours in the afternoon from when the consignment arrives and then a further two hours the following morning (until 1pm) to inspect the goods.