Fears over foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) have led to new calls for the UK government to strengthen border controls in a bid to safeguard the livestock industry.
In a new letter to the government, NFU Cymru has expressed “very serious concerns” about rising levels of illegal meat entering the UK.
Since September 2022, more than 190 tonnes of illicit meat have been seized at the Port of Dover – including 10 tonnes in a single week in January 2024.
Recent cases of FMD confirmed in Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia have heightened fears of an outbreak on UK soil.
While the disease poses no threat to humans, it is devastating for livestock businesses.
The 2001 FMD outbreak, which cost the UK more than £8 billion, had a crippling effect family farms across the country.
NFU Cymru is now urging the UK government to introduce a permanent ban on personal meat imports and to bolster border and import controls to address the growing biosecurity threat.
The union warns that illegal meat – which could carry FMD or African swine fever – is entering the UK via both personal and commercial routes, and not just through Channel ports.
A major seizure in Northern Ireland earlier this year has raised concerns about UK ports’ vulnerability as well.
NFU Cymru livestock board chair, Rob Lewis said the current Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) used at Dover was “not fit for purpose”.
He warned that it was “highly vulnerable” to exploitation by organised crime, given limited funding and enforcement capacity.
"With cases of FMD confirmed in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia, the memories of 2001 come flooding back and send a chill down the spine of the Welsh farming community," he said.
"We must operate a ‘keep it out’ policy when it comes to exotic animal disease, failure to do so will have a devastating impact not only for individual farm businesses, but for the whole country."
Jonathan Wilkinson, the union's dairy board chair, welcomed swift bans on imports from affected parts of Europe but stressed that further action was needed – including tougher penalties.
“Our livestock families are deeply concerned that current import controls fall far short of what’s needed to protect our nation’s biosecurity,” he said.
"We ask the Secretary of State to take these matters up with her Ministerial colleagues in UK Government as a matter of urgency.
"With the risk of disease incursion high, our livestock farming families are worried that the current import controls do not match the threat to the nation’s biosecurity.”
