Industry left ‘dangerously exposed’ as government ducks illegal meat challenge

The NPA has warned that the UK has been left dangerously exposed to the threat of devastating livestock diseases, after the government largely ignored a comprehensive set of recommendations to stem the illegal import crisis.

Hopes were raised in September when the cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee published a report on the UK’s ‘illegal meat crisis’ that urged the government to take action to stem the flow.

It accused the government of sleepwalking into its next big food safety crisis and set out a number of sensible recommendations to address the problem and improve defences, particularly at the primary route in for this trade, the Port of Dover.

In its response, published on Tuesday, the government said it shares the committee’s concerns about illegal imports and the potential risks posed to animal health and food safety. Defra said it was working closely with the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to tackle this issue, with the support of Border Force, port health authorities, local authorities and the Devolved Governments, including Food Standards Scotland.

It partially accepted some of the recommendations, but rejected some of the key ones outright and suggested action on others should only be considered once the SPS negotiations with the EU have been concluded and implemented. This would put off powers to reduce ‘alarming amounts of illegal imports’ until 2027 at the earliest, the EFRA committee commented

NPA reaction

NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “While we welcome the fact that the government has acknowledged the problem and has committed to partially accepting some of the recommendations, we are hugely disappointed with its response to this report. We are not really surprised, however.

“The EFRA committee took a long hard look at the problem and concluded that urgent action is needed if we are to avoid a potentially devastating outbreak of diseases like African swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease. Its recommendations were proportionate, sensible and achievable.

“The government’s response shows it simply still does not appreciate the scale of the problem and appears unwilling to act, rejecting some of the suggestions outright and kicking others down the road until the EU-UK deal is complete.

“It is burying its head in the sand. Livestock farmers up and down the country will be feeling very vulnerable today.

“We will continue, with others, to highlight the importance of this issue and urge the government to act with the urgency the UK’s illegal meat crisis deserves.”

Lack of urgency

Highlighting the growing scale of the problem, since the report was published, the Dover Port Health Authority has revealed that more than 20 tonnes of illegally imported meat was seized during September.

The EFRA committee welcomed the fact that the government has partially accepted some of its conclusions and recommendations, but the MPs said they were ‘concerned about the lack of urgency from ministers’.

EFRA chair Alistair Carmichael said: “The SPS Agreement is not going to regulate those who chop up animals and transport them in suitcases – which we witnessed on the Committee’s visit to the Port Health Authority in Dover.

“The Government’s approach to threats to the UK’s biosecurity is to leave the UK sitting in the firing line. Pathogens don’t wait for policy — that’s why urgency in biosecurity matters.

“African Swine Fever, Foot and Mouth Disease – whatever the next threat to animal health will be – we cannot wait for the UK’s negotiations with the EU to conclude, never mind wait for implementation.

“Our report found that there is currently no effective deterrent to meat smuggling and the risks to animal and human health, our food security, farming sector and the economy are significant.”