A first: livestock checkpoint in the Port of Rotterdam

A livestock checkpoint has been operational in the port of Rotterdam since January 8, 2021. The Animal Centre Hoek van Holland (ACH) is located at the Stena Line terminal and is run jointly by ECS Livestock and Stena Line.

The checkpoint in Hoek van Holland is the only place in the Dutch seaports where live animals can undergo veterinary inspection, making it unique to the port of Rotterdam. The inspection of animals coming from the United Kingdom has been mandatory since 1 January this year, the date on which the Brexit transition period ended.

The European Commission has now given the green light to ACH for the inspection of day-old chicks and hatching eggs. An additional permit for inspecting horses is expected to be granted later in this month. Stena Line is one of the key ferry operators in the North Sea carrying this kind of livestock to and from the British ports of Harwich and Killingholme.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) veterinarians will carry out the inspections at ACH’s facilities on the Stena Line site. Stable space for seven horses is already available. ACH will begin inspecting horses as soon as the green light is given for this too.