Pig producers are calling on the government to remove the 2kg allowance for personal pork imports to match new measures introduced to protect the sheep sector.
Pork products are increasingly being brought illegally into the UK, often from infected areas, in large quantities in personal luggage and private vehicles.
The National Pig Association (NPA) warned that this presented 'the greatest risk' of introduction of notifiable diseases, such as African swine fever (ASF).
Rules banning imports of pork products above 2kg were introduced in September 2022 to address the growing risk posed of ASF in Europe and elsewhere.
Since then, around 100 tonnes of illegal product has been seized at the Port of Dover alone, but this is widely considered to represent just the tip of iceberg.
The NPA said that the 2kg limit was 'unnecessary' as it made it harder for the authorities to enforce and for travellers to understand, and is instead asking for a total ban.
It follows a recent total ban on personal imports of certain sheep and goat commodities, such as meat, cheese and milk products, to safeguard Britain’s sheep and goat populations from outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants (PPR).
While PPR does not pose a risk to human health, any outbreak in the UK could be 'very damaging' to the farming industry, Defra said last month.
NPA senior policy adviser, Katie Jarvis said the pig sector was becoming increasingly concerned as ASF continued to spread across Europe, with several new cases reported in Germany over the summer.
“Alarmingly, the disease has travelled significant distances across the country, and this spread, as is often the case, is partly a result of human activity.
"The news from Germany has served as a stark reminder of how far this disease can travel, particularly when aided by people.
“With that in mind, we believe there should be zero tolerance on personal imports of pork products to minimise the risk of anyone importing a product that is carrying ASF."
She added: “As Defra has announced the suspension of personal imports of certain commodities to safeguard Britain’s sheep and goat populations, we can see no reason at all why this should not be extended to pork products.”
The NPA was a signatory to a recent letter to Defra Secretary Steve Reed from the Livestock Chain Advisory Group, a coalition of 26 livestock and meat organisations.
This called for the government to review its spending allocation for checks for illegal meat imports at Dover and to review how the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is operating.
This is amid growing concerns that flaws in the new border control system, including low levels of inspections, are allowing commercial imports from ASF infected areas into the UK unchecked.
