Guidance

Accessibility statement for export health certificate service

Updated 26 July 2023

© Crown copyright 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/accessibility-statement-for-export-health-certificate-service/accessibility-statement-for-export-health-certificate-service

These web pages are created in HTML, which allows users to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We have made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your devices easier to use if you have a disability.

1. We know some parts of this service are not fully accessible

This service offers documents in 2 formats. All application forms and most guidance documents are PDF while only a few are Word documents.

Forms and guidance documents contain text and, in a few instances, some diagrams without any descriptive tagging or metadata. In some instances, Exporters are sometimes required to add markings to these diagrams with a pen.

All PDFs are created using the most up-to-date software and standards.

The application forms contain titles and headings that meet screen reader standards. Users can navigate through the question fields in these forms with just a keyboard only.

Applying for an export health certificate involves downloading forms to a digital device, filling these in on a device and emailing the completed document to Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

2. If you need an assisted digital service

If you cannot access parts of the website or need help filling in forms, you can call APHA and request a trained member of staff to assist you over the phone or in person.

3. Exporters in England, Scotland or Wales

One-to-one help is offered only by arrangement and requires the exporter to visit the main APHA office in Carlisle, or another office by arrangement.

APHA provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

The offices have audio induction loops. APHA can also arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

If you need any information available on this website in a different format, like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, use the contact information on this page to make a request.

The contact details are:

Telephone: 03000 200 301
email: exports@apha.gov.uk

APHA Offices, Eden Bridge House, Lowther Street, Carlisle CA3 8DX

4. Exporters in Northern Ireland should contact DAERA

One-to-one help can be arranged with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAREA). There is no central office but DAERA has a number of regional offices.

Any of these offices can be contacted through a central switchboard on: 0300 200 7840

You can find the address of your nearest DAERA direct regional office, but the regions covered are:

5. Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find problems not listed on this page, or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact:

Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
Centre for International Trade
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DX

6. Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).

If you’re not happy with how APHA respond to your complaint and your organisation is based in England, Scotland or Wales, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

If your organisation is based in Northern Ireland, contact the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).

7. Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and APHA are committed to making their websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

7.1 Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

7.2 Level A

These 9 known issues occur on 75 pages.

  1. A FIELDSET element has been used to give a border to text. This fails WCAG 2.1 A F43 Section 508 (2017) A F43
  2. Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup. This style only contains a color change. This fails WCAG 2.1 A 1.4.1 Section 508 (2017) A 1.4.1
  3. Identify row and column headers in data tables using TH elements, and mark layout tables with role=’presentation’. This fails WCAG 2.1 A F91 Section 508 (2017) A F91
  4. IMG elements must have an ALT attribute. This fails WCAG 2.1 A F65 Section 508 (2017) A F65
  5. LABEL elements should be attached to the controls they label. This fails WCAG 2.1 A 4.1.2 Section 508 (2017) A 4.1.2
  6. Some pages have the same title, so the title cannot be used to distinguish pages. This fails WCAG 2.1 A F25 Section 508 (2017) A F25
  7. This form control has no LABEL and no programmatically determined name. This fails WCAG 2.1 A F68 Section 508 (2017) A F68
  8. This page has duplicate IDs which cause problems in screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.1 A F77 Section 508 (2017) A F77
  9. This page has markup errors, causing screen readers to miss content. This fails WCAG 2.1 A F70 Section 508 (2017) A F700

7.3 Level AA

These 4 issues occur on 8 pages.

  1. Ensure that foreground and background colors have enough contrast. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.3 Section 508 (2017) AA 1.4.3
  2. Form field labels should be unique on a page, or enclosed in a FIELDSET with a LEGEND that makes the label unique. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA 2.4.6 Section 508 (2017) AA 2.4.6
  3. This CSS style makes it difficult or impossible to see the dotted link focus outline. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA F78 Section 508 (2017) AA F78
  4. Use relative rather than absolute units in CSS property values. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.4 Section 508 (2017) AA 1.4.4

Work will be carried out in October and November 2019 to address all these known problems.

Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).

DEFRA plan to add text alternatives for all images by September 2020. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.

8. Disproportionate burden

The content and layout of each Export Health Certificate PDF will remain difficult to adapt to a higher standard of accessibility because:

  • each form represents an established trade agreement between the UK and another country or economic community
  • these are legal documents agreed and recognised internationally
  • any changes to text and layout would potentially involve opening trade negotiations with hundreds of countries

There’s no way to skip the repeated content in the page header (for example, a ‘skip to main content’ option). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (bypass blocks).

It’s not always possible to change the device orientation from horizontal to vertical without making it more difficult to view the content. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.4 (orientation).

It’s not possible for users to change text size without some of the content overlapping. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.4 (resize text).

10. Interactive tools and transactions

Some of our interactive forms are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, because some form controls are missing a ‘label’ tag.

Our forms are built and hosted through third party software and ‘skinned’ to look like our website. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (information and relationships).

We’ve assessed the cost of fixing the issues with navigation and accessing information, and with interactive tools and transactions. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.

11. PDFs and other documents

This represents content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations.

We have attempted to make sure all our PDFs are new and meet accessibility standards. Older PDFs and Word documents may exist on this service and these may not meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

All of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. Our aim is to never use PDF or Word documents where HTML can be used.

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018, if they’re not essential to providing our services.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

12. How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 1 September 2019. The test was carried out by Defra using the accessibility testing tool Sortsite.

This approach allowed us to test every page within our service.

13. What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Work is already underway to offer a simpler alternative to the current application process. We will begin implementing changes from October 2019. Priority will be given to the most commonly used forms.

This work will provide an alternative to downloading Export Health Certificate application forms as PDFs and will provide a simple online form, similar in style to many other online forms on Government websites, for example Tax your vehicle.

This statement was prepared on 1 October 2019. It was last updated on 5 October 2019.

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