To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the maximum number of physical checks that can be undertaken at the Sevington Products of Animal Origin Border Control Point in a 24-hour period.

Estimates of the operational capacity of Sevington have been based on a throughput model that seeks to model the flow of goods into the site based on the volumes, seasonal trends, timetabling of ferries and operational assumptions around the number of bays in use, and the duration of inspections including marshalling time and cleaning.

The model does not calculate a maximum daily check but instead identifies potential pinch-points in the throughput of the goods. The model is only considered as a guide given the uncertainties in forecasting the behaviour of a new service.