SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE Jan. 25 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Border Control Post (PCF) located at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which has seen its Plant Health Inspection service extended to include Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays since April 2024, has processed a total of 6,000 tonnes of goods during weekends when the Plant Health Inspection service has been operational.
The Secretary of State for Territorial Policy, Arcadi Spain, toured the facility this Saturday, noting that since the aforementioned date, a total of 310 containers have been inspected on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, resulting in 613 phytosanitary inspections, as reported by the Ministry of Territorial Policy in a statement.
This service primarily handles highly perishable items (such as fresh produce), which are subsequently distributed to supermarkets across the island.
“The Government of Spain has responded to the demands made by the distribution sector on the island since 2022 by augmenting staff for the border inspection service and adapting the PCF of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to meet current merchandise trafficking requirements,” they stated.
The Secretary of State reiterated the commitment made by the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, to “enhance” the workforce at the Border Control Post of the port of Santa Cruz, particularly in the realm of Plant Health, and highlighted how this demand “has been fulfilled.”
He also noted that during a working meeting held this Saturday with operators, representatives from the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and the PCF, the Government of Spain promised to continue improving and increasing the workforce so that more operators and additional fresh goods can be brought to the island over weekends.
He added that this would lead to “greater competitiveness, more jobs, and ensure that products reach consumers on par with the rest of the country.”
NEW ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL IN SANITARY INSPECTION AT THE BORDER
Additionally, this week, a new organisational model for border health inspections in ports nationwide will be implemented, following positive outcomes from pilot projects conducted at the Border Control Posts in Algeciras and Barcelona, according to the Government Delegation in the statement.
This new health control framework, outlined in Ministerial Order 756/2024 as a result of extensive collaboration among relevant ministries (Agriculture, Health, and Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory), entails the unification of veterinary actions, elimination of redundancies in the inspection process, and simplification of procedures.
In this manner, they assert that enhanced effectiveness and efficiency will be achieved, while still ensuring the requisite rigor in inspection procedures. Thus, this organisational shift marks the beginning of new initiatives that will be undertaken, situated within the modernisation process of the PCF of Spain to bolster the competitiveness of our ports.
