From 1st September 2019, machinery or vehicles that have been used for agricultural or forestry purposes will be subject to plant health regulations when imported from any third country.

Importers must ensure that machinery or vehicles of this kind are accompanied by an official statement such as a phytosanitary certificate, detailing that they have been cleaned and are free from soil and plant debris. The requirements do not apply to new machinery and vehicles.

All plant health import inspections of controlled agriculture and forestry machinery and vehicles landing in England and Wales will be performed by Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Inspectors, and recorded on the Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates system (PEACH). Importers of regulated machinery should notify the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) and register on the PEACH system. Guidance on notifying the PHSI and using the PEACH system.

Machinery and vehicles landing in Scotland should be manually notified to the Forestry Commission’s Plant Health Service. The Forestry Commission will arrange an import inspection.

The Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes covered by the new legislation are:

• ex 8432 (Agricultural, horticultural or forestry machinery for soil preparation or cultivation; lawn or sports-ground rollers)
• ex 8433 53 (Root or tuber harvesting machines)
• ex 8436 80 10 (Forestry machinery excludes chainsaws 8467 81 00 00))
• ex 8701 20 90 (Used Tractors for semi-trailers (other than tractors of heading 8709):
• ex 8701 91 10 (Agricultural tractors and forestry tractors, wheeled, of an engine power not exceeding 18 kW)

The requirements for machinery and vehicles can be found at the new point 7a of Schedule 4B in the legislation for forestry

Importers of forest and farming machinery who need any further information or guidance can contact the APHA PHSI (Plant Health and Seed Inspectorate) helpline on 01904 405138.

How to get an export health certificate to export animals and animal products from the UK.

The Ministry of Justice has today (21 August 2019) announced plans to address the serious issues identified at HMYOI Feltham A, including extra staff training and limiting the population until significant improvements are made.

The action plan responds to the Urgent Notification issued by the Prisons Inspectorate last month and details improvements to be made to safety, staff, education and living conditions.

Some of the immediate changes, such as a specialist team working one-to-one with offenders in the prison, have already improved the situation and young people are now getting more time out of cells and in education, and a normal regime is running.

There have also been major changes to staff, including the appointment of a new Head of Safeguarding and the short-term secondment of Mike Woodbine, an experienced Deputy Governor from HMYOI Cookham Wood.

Woodbine was deputy governor at Medway Secure Training Centre after it was brought into public ownership from G4S, and has worked for the Youth Justice Board.

By November, the prison hopes to have recruited a trauma expert to help staff better understand some of the reasons driving challenging behaviour at the prison, such as young people who have experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence.

Significant refurbishments have already begun – broken cell bells have been repaired, shower facilities improved and the first steps taken towards installing telephones in all cells by next summer.

Work has also been undertaken to prepare young people for their transition back into the community, by prioritising family contact and working to help local authorities implement a scheme which will identify suitable accommodation one month before release.

Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland QC MP, said:

We are urgently making the improvements Feltham A so desperately needs – and starting to see results.

These efforts will not be allowed to slow and I am working closely with the prison to change the culture and make Feltham A somewhere that young people can get the support and structure they need to turn their lives around.

Ministers set up the Urgent Notification protocol in 2017 to ensure that immediate steps are taken to address serious concerns identified by inspectors.

The Secretary of State’s letter response and action plan can be found on GOV.UK. It also sets out how Feltham’s progress over the coming year will be regularly monitored.

The final inspection report for HMPYOI Feltham A will be published by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons around 3 months after the inspection. A long-term action plan responding to all recommendations in the HMIP report will also be published.

Last week the Prime Minister announced plans for an extra £100 million to be invested across the prisons estate to boost security and safety so we can protect staff, cut violence, and rehabilitate offenders.

The government will also be investing up to £2.5 billion in an extra 10,000 prison places.