On 30 July 2018, UK Visas and Immigration’s Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Freetown moved to a new premises. Customers making a new application should attend their appointment at the new VAC. Customers who have still to collect their application will now need to report to the new address.

UK visa customers will continue to complete their applications and pay their visa fee online at Visa4UK/ Access UK in exactly the same way as before, and choose an appointment at the TLS Contact VAC in Freetown.

The Visa Application Centre in Freetown will be open every week day between 08:30hrs – 14:30hrs. Customers will be able to make appointments to submit visa applications in Freetown between 08:30hrs and 14:30hrs Monday to Friday.

As before, applications made in Freetown will be processed in line with UKVI’s global customer service standards. All UK visa applications will continue to be decided by UK Visas and Immigration staff in a fair and objective process. Staff at the Visa Application Centre have no influence at all over the outcome of any visa application.

New Visa Application Centre Address

UK Visa Application Centre TLS Contact West African Sunshine Building Gouji Property Development Building No: 5 7 Lumley Beach Road Aberdeen Freetown

Following a judgment handed down in the Divisional Court on 3 August 2018, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) advises providers to note the below steps when claiming under the LGFS for cases with more than 6,000 pages of prosecution evidence (PPE).

As a result of the judgment, the LGFS has now reverted to previous regulations in force before 1 December 2017. However, providers should be aware that the question whether to appeal the order of the Divisional Court is still under consideration by the Lord Chancellor.

Providers with affected claims should note and take the following steps:

New claims made

Providers should submit all new claims in the usual way but, following the judgment, are now able to submit claims up to the 10,000 PPE threshold via Claim for Crown Court Defence (CCD).

Applying for a redetermination

If a provider has submitted a claim which has been processed with a representation order dated on or after 1 December 2017, which is affected by this judgment, they should apply for a redetermination in the usual way via CCD and will be able to claim up to the 10,000 PPE threshold. If a provider has also had a claim for Special Preparation processed in the same case, they should notify the LAA as part of their claim for redetermination.

Affected claims awaiting determination

If a provider has a claim affected by the judgment which is awaiting determination, they should seek to amend their claim in CCD or contact our Case Management team.

Further information

The Crown Court Fee Guidance and relevant claiming forms will be updated in due course.

Updated: Link to EFSA’s practical video guide to African swine fever added.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease of pigs which is currently spreading in eastern and central Europe and has recently been found in China. The virus does not affect people but severe strains of the virus are often fatal to pigs of any age.

If the disease were to reach the UK it would have a devastating effect on our export market and would also mean the humane culling of pigs on infected premises to prevent further spread.

What you should do

If you keep pigs, you must not feed catering waste of any description, or domestic food waste, to your pigs. It is illegal to do so. This is because of the risk of spreading disease.

This includes food from vegetarian kitchens, as there is still a risk of cross contamination from products of animal origin such as milk.

This ban on feeding food waste also helps to protect the UK from diseases such as foot and mouth disease.

Don’t feed:

• Food scraps and catering waste from any restaurant or commercial kitchen (including vegan kitchens) as this is illegal.
• Domestic kitchen waste or scraps.
• Raw, partially cooked or fully cooked meat and fish (including shellfish).
• Dog and cat food.

Instead feed:

• Specially formulated commercial pig feed as a safe and easy way to give your pigs a balanced diet.

• Fruit and vegetable material that has never entered a kitchen and which has not come into contact with material of animal origin.

If you are ever worried about the health of your pigs consult your veterinary surgeon immediately.

How the disease spreads

The biggest risk of the disease entering the UK’s pig population is by pigs eating infected pork or pork products derived from infected pigs or wild boar. The ASF virus can survive for months in smoked, dried and cured meats, and in frozen meat. The greatest risk is from meat products brought into the UK from affected countries as personal imports since commercial trade of such products is not permitted from ASF restricted areas.

It also survives in pig faeces and in the blood of infected pigs or wild boar. The virus can therefore be spread on vehicles, equipment, clothing and boots contaminated by infected pigs or wild boar. As a result, farm staff whose homes are in ASF-affected areas in Europe, and people returning to the UK from holidays or hunting expeditions could unknowingly bring back infection. If these people also happen to keep pigs, or work on pig farms, they could pass that contamination on to their pigs and introduce disease, but there are some straightforward actions they can take to prevent introduction.

Practise good biosecurity

• Use dedicated clothing and boots for you and anyone coming onto your premises.
• Prevent vehicles or equipment from coming on to your premises unless cleaned and disinfected first.
• Ensure that people who look after or visit your pigs understand the disease risk of bringing back meat products and in particular wild boar meat or pork/pork products from affected countries. Trade of pork from affected areas in these countries is illegal.
• Don’t bring meat products onto the farm to avoid accidental access to pigs.

Latest situation in Europe

African swine fever was first detected in EU Member States in 2014. Since then, the disease has been spreading in parts of eastern and central Europe. It has been reported in the Baltic States, Poland, Romania, Moldova, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine and Russia. The presence of the disease in both commercial and backyard pigs in continental Europe means that there is an increased risk of introduction of African swine fever to pigs in the UK. It has also recently been detected in China. You can find out more in our assessments of the risk.

Further information

See more information about African swine fever and how to spot it and advice and posters to download from AHDB Pork.

If you suspect African swine fever you should notify the Animal and Plant Health Agency immediately.

EU-wide animal by-product legislation states that feeding farmed animals with catering waste or feed material containing, or derived from, catering waste is illegal. Doing so can result in prosecution.

For information about biosecurity see controlling disease in farm animals.