BACKGROUND
The disappearance of European Union borders has entailed the disappearance of borders control between countries; therefore, it is necessary to establish a common set of rules and principles at EC level, applicable to controls on imports of vegetables and vegetable products coming from third countries. This is the case at the Port of Motril in order to guarantee standards of goods and hygienic, sanitary and commercial quality conditions as well as industrial security. This will avoid propagation of contagious diseases for people and animals and the entry and dissemination of harmful organisms ensuring people and animal security as well as security of market supply and stabilisation.
These control activities are carried out at the Border Inspection Services (SIF), entities attached to the State General Administration.
The Border Inspection Unit and the EC Entry Points have to respect certain conditions as for the operational level and the availability of means and equipments.
Inspection tasks at the Port of Motril are carried out by Customs, External Health, Soivre, Vegetable Health and so on. These services are provided by specialised inspection personnel in and they are not in charge of handling goods.
The general interest of the port focuses in designing a strategy, as broad as possible, for gathering companies from different locations in the country observing environmental quality and security standards, wishing to settle with us.
Inspections have become more and more demanding for the last years, therefore, the depth and significance of controls and inspections carried out by the SIF have been increased. It is obvious that for health and national security reasons, veterinary and sanitary controls on merchandises are more and more necessary and demanding every day and so they are becoming more important.
Conditions and quality standards in services provided by SIF in every port are just one of the elements that positively contributes to the added value of the port services logistics chain.
BORDER INSPECTION FACILITIES OF THE PORT OF MOTRIL
Inspection facilities at the Port of Motril are fitted for the inspection of products of non-animal origin not for human consumption PONACNH, products of non-animal origin for human consumption PONACH and products subject to special protection measures PSEMP. They are approved as Phytosanitary border inspection unit PIF Fito (vegetable origin products), Operational customs site RAH (products of non-animal origin) and Specific import point PDI (products subject to special protection measures).
Facilities are located in a plot within the customs site in the logistic activities area. The building is located next to the main road to easy up trucks transit.
The building has two main roles: the one concerning the facilities of sanitary control of products of non-animal origin (PIF Fito, RAH and PDI) and another administrative role not related to product inspection. However the main role and the one affecting to the building layout is the one related to the facilities of sanitary control of products of non-animal origin.
The building can be divided in three sections:
- Unloading docks/ Chambers
- Changing and inspection rooms (also including a chamber and two facilities rooms in this section)
- Offices
Between the office section and the one with the changing and inspection rooms, there is an open covered gallery permitting natural light and air circulation coming in to the inspection and changing rooms and with no effect in transit among different sections.
Next to the truck parking lot, there is a small detached building fitted with toilets for visitors and carriers.
Within the site, two main areas can be differentiated: a section for vehicles (vehicle transit and a trucks and light vehicles parking lot) and another one for pedestrians giving access to the building connecting the main building and the toilet building and where rest areas for staff and carriers are located. All outdoors sites are accessible for disabled people. At the entrance, there is also a scale to weight trucks in a perfect spot allowing easy access for trucks at the entry and exit of the site.
There are three staircases (the most Southern one gives main access to the building) and two ramps for the forklift trucks to get access to docks.
As for the volume, the building is laid out as follows: A first section harbouring the docks and their 4 unloading doors and two chambers. Next to this and both conforming the main building, there is another section with the changing and inspection rooms and toilets together with another chamber and the facilities rooms. The third section for offices represents a completely detached site from the rest of the building.
According to the use or the kind of merchandise, facilities are divided in three rooms:
- Product of non-animal origin for human consumption PONACH
- Specific import point PDI
- Product of non-animal origin not for human consumption PONACNH.
The access to each room is granted by a “sanitary path” or through the changing rooms of the inspection rooms.
The PONACH room counts on docks 1 and 2 and an access on the Northern side, for machinery necessary in the inspections. It is also connected by a roller shutter door with the PDI room. It is also fitted with a cooling chamber. Staff will have access to this room through the sanitary path 1 or the inspection room 1.
The PDI room has only one dock, the number 3 and an access for machinery through a roller shutter door to the PONACH room. It is also fitted with a storage chamber at room temperature. Staff will have access to this room through the sanitary path 2 or the inspection room 2.
The PONACNH room is the one of dock number 4 and it has an access on the Southern side for machinery necessary in the inspections. It is also fitted with a cooling chamber. Staff will have access to this room through the sanitary path 3 or the inspection room 3.
There are three changing rooms in the facilities. Changing rooms number 1 and 3 are for inspection staff only. From these they can have access to the inspection rooms and consequently to the docks.
Changing room number 2 is for the staff of the management entity and it only has access through the main corridor.
All entries to changing rooms, rooms and sanitary paths are subject to identification cards controls.
ACCESS FOR VISITORS AND CARRIERS
In the office section, the access is managed by a “sole desk”. This “desk room” intends to be the common room for communication between economic agents and entities: Management entity, External health, Vegetable health, SOIVRE and Customs. This room is located next to the main access and open to it so that any external person entering the building can be controlled and assisted.
There are toilets for visitors and carriers located next to the outdoors area. They can be used by carriers during their rest and idle time as well as by any person visiting occasionally the building as they do not have access to the toilets in the main building for staff use only.
Map of food inspection facilities
