Member Engagement
European Entry Exit (EES) system which came into effect a few days before the meeting, and the preparations made at the port. Matthew Grigor, Eurotunnel, also spoke about the arrangements for its services, with both operators taking a phased approach with freight and coach traffic being checked first. There is a low
proportion of truck drivers who are not EU residents (10-20%) who may be impacted but early reports are good. For Dover crossings, coaches are directed to the new facility in the Western Docks. Ongoing discussions concerning the location of the EU border hope to facilitate an improved process. An app is also being developed for
use by travellers in future. Beverley Edmundson, from Dover port health, updated Members on the latest issues, advising that EFRA finds the commercial animal and plant imports system to be inadequate. Indeed, a taskforce has been set up to focus on illegal meat and to try to and improve biosecurity at the border.
Aberdeen Members heard about port development plans for the south harbour.
Spreading the word Promotion of the industry is one of BIFA’s core values and one strand of this is spreading the word to the workforce of tomorrow. Recently, Paul Cunningham of BIFA attended the careers event at Fareham College talking to students about the great career opportunities in freight forwarding and logistics. Most students have little understanding of the logistics sector and the fantastic careers it can offer. Addressing this is one of the key objectives of our ongoing collaboration with the South Hampshire College Group, which led to this opportunity to take part in the careers event. Please contact your regional representative if your business can attend careers events at local colleges to get the message across to the next generation of freight forwarders and bring much- needed new blood and skills to your companies. BIFA has prepared Career Day Tips to help you engage and enthuse the students.
Paul Cunningham, BIFA regional representative for the south, is pictured with Tristan Shields, Careers Advisor for Fareham College.
December 2025 | 23
www.bifa.org
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker