Dover gets reefer cold shoulder
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IN Dover should upgrade its facilities for Customs inspection of deep frozen goods or stop handling refrigerated traffic, according to Transfrigoroute UK, the association that represents operators of controlled temperature vehicles.
At the Transfrigoroute UK annual general meeting last week, chairman Robin East, managing director of Rokold European, said that the current practice at Dover where deep frozen food can only be inspected in the open air or in a chill store where the minimum temperature is +2 deg C is unacceptable.
Transfrigoroute UK has expressed its concern to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which accepts that the breaking of the cold chain during Dover inspection is a problem. Other European and British ports have deep freeze stores for Customs inspections, Dover Harbour Board says that it plans to acquire a 12.2m refrigerated semi-trailer from January next year for Customs inspection of deep frozen goods but Graham Eames of Transfrigoroute says that this is acceptable only as a temporary measure.
Donald Soppitt director of operations at Dover Harbour Board says that the possibility building a cold store at Dover's Eastern docks for Customs inspection has been examined several times and always found not to be viable.
He estimates that about 60 or 70 refrigerated cargoes a year are inspected by Dover Customs. "We have to control our finances very carefully, particularly now with the Channel Tunnel in the offing," he says.