NPA urges government to act, after second damning EFRA report on import controls

The NPA has, once again, urged the government to take on board and act on the findings from a damning report by MPs into the UK’s deeply ‘flawed’ and ‘inadequate’ import controls.

Following closely on from its report last week into the UK’s biosecurity border control failings and the huge flow of illegal imports into the UK, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has today published a new report into UK-EU trade and the government’s border strategy.

The latest report found that the government’s much-vaunted Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is ‘flawed’ and is failing to provide a ‘robust, risk-based regime of inspections’ of potentially infected food imports coming into thd country.

MPs heard that the ‘inadequate’ system is also imposing ‘excessive burdens both on responsible, law-abiding businesses and on local authorities, and may be creating incentives and opportunities for criminals’.

It found that banned products are passing through the border unchecked, but that Defra has ‘no effective system of oversight for border controls and that the previous government’s vision for the UK’s Biosecurity, Borders and Trade Programme has not been realised’.

Varying inspection rates at different ports of entry has created a system that can be gamed by people seeking to dodge costs or import illegal goods, thus jeopardising biosecurity and damaging trust in the system amongst law-abiding compliant businesses, the MPs concluded.

The committee also expressed doubt over the explanations given for Defra’s reluctance to publish inspection rates, saying that it is ‘not convinced’ that a lack of published data on the inspection rates is due to a desire to protect the integrity of the intelligence system. “We have concerns that they are not being published to avoid highlighting Defra’s historic noncompliance with its own targets,” the report said.

The Committee is calling on Defra to clarify the inspection rates, explain the variations between ports and demonstrate how risk-based inspection rates are being met.

Sevington Concern

The report highlights numerous problems with the effective operations of commercial border controls, particularly at the Short Straits at Dover.

Echoing concerns repeatedly raised by the Dover Port Health Authority and others, it noted ‘specific and repeated concerns that the unique location of Sevington inland BCP [Border Control Post], 22 miles away from the Port of Dover, provides opportunities for exploitation by criminals’.

The report highlighted flawed IT systems and data gaps as being amongst the causes of weak enforcement. The Committee heard, for example, that after the government introduced a ban on meat imports from Germany in early 2025 in response to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, prohibited products were able to continue entering UK for a further six days because of the use of a default digital mechanism known as ‘TODCOF auto-clearing’.

Failing enforcement

EFRA chair Alistair Carmichael said while compliance by law-abiding companies with the import control rules is high, despite the high costs the system imposes on them, enforcement by the relevant authorities is failing, despite the best efforts of the operating teams and management. This is leaving the UK’s biosecurity ‘at serious risk and allowing opportunities for criminal enterprise’.

He said: “Our report describes the numerous problems and inadequacies which are making it impossible for the designated authorities to do their job.

“These problems arise from a failure by successive governments to appreciate the gravity of the threat, listen to stakeholders, address problems in real time and to understand that, even in a time of scarcity these operations must be adequately funded.”

NPA response

NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “This report shows the stark reality of just what is and isn’t happening, at our borders; the alarming reality that the NPA has been trying to highlight for the past three  years.

“For many months we have been reassured by the government that existing border control measures are working, despite the evidence regularly presented by the ports and local authorities themselves.

“The ongoing illegal import of meat and animal products poses one of the biggest risks to not only the UK’s domestic pig herd, but also the wider farmed livestock sector. With African Swine Fever rife in the EU, and recent outbreaks of Food and Mouth Disease, it is imperative that our border control system is fit for purpose.

“We’re thankful to the EFRA Committee for taking on board these concerns and conducting a thorough investigation which has demonstrated the weaknesses in the BTOM functionality.

“We fully support the report’s recommendation that Defra reviews the implementation of the BTOM, seeks to understand the scale of non-compliance, and puts in place adequate enforcement measures, particularly between the Short Straits and Sevington BCP.

“We urge the government to take this report seriously, engage with industry and act without delay to strengthen our national border and biosecurity, and protect our domestic pig sector from notifiable disease risks before it’s too late.”

Defra response

A government spokesperson said: “Rebuilding the UK’s biosecurity remains a key government priority, and we are investing £1 billion in a new National Biosecurity Centre to boost our world leading facilities and protect our farmers, food supply and economy.

“The Border Target Operating Model is designed to protect our livestock, crops and food chain from dangerous diseases while minimising disruption to trade, and must be followed while we finalise our veterinary agreement with the EU that will make trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier.”