News of Germany’s foot-and-mouth outbreak should be a 'massive wake-up call' to the government to crack down on illegally imported meat or risk 'disaster' for UK farmers.
The National Pig Association (NPA) is the latest farming industry body to call on the government to take new steps to reinforce the UK's border controls following the 'shocking' case.
AIMS, formally known as the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, said yesterday there was now a 'significant biosecurity risk' and that a 'comprehensive ban' on personal meat imports was needed.
The recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in water buffalo near Berlin led to the UK government banning imports of live animals and meat and dairy products from Germany.
But the NPA, which has raised concerns about the lack of sufficient checks at border entry points for some time, said there was now a 'disaster waiting to happen' for British livestock sector.
Along with many others across the industry, the NPA has raised concerns about large volumes of illegally imported meat entering the country amid the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Europe, a deadly pig disease.
Before Christmas, Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) revealed that it had seized 147 tonnes of illegally imported meat since new rules designed to keep ASF out of the country were introduced in September 2022.
This was despite DPHA staff only providing 20% operational coverage at the port, due to budgetary pressures, highlighting that the headline figure represents just the tip of the iceberg.
DPHA has been battling against cuts to its budget for this vital work for more than a year, and even though the current government initially indicated that this was a ‘priority’, the situation remains unresolved.
Furthermore, the industry continues to express concerns over flaws in the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) for commercial imports, in light of evidence that large volumes of illegal meat imports are easily bypassing its formal checks.
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said news of Germany’s foot-and-mouth outbreak should be a 'massive wake-up call' to the UK government.
She warned: “We have been living under the shadow of an ASF outbreak for many years, and we now face the threat of a devastating FMD outbreak, as the virus circulates in a country that exports thousands of tonnes of pigmeat to the UK each year.
“We have learned over the past two years how criminal gangs are using the UK’s weak border controls to bring in products, unchecked, from regions where ASF is rife and from where exports are banned, including Romania."
The NPA urged the government to 'act now' to work with DPHA and other key ports and airports to ensure they have the resources needed to keep potentially-infected meat and products of animal origin out of the UK.
It welcomed confirmation of a ban on imports of live animals and meat products from Germany, but the body said it was now vital that these measures are now actively enforced.
Ms Wilson added: “Germany’s domestic market is going to come under huge pressure, so some unscrupulous people might be seeking alternative markets, as has been the case in Romania.
“The relatively small cost of properly resourcing border checks at our ports pales into insignificance against the vast cost to our livestock industry and the taxpayer of an outbreak of a notifiable disease like FMD or ASF.
“We would also like to see the government carry out a proper review of the BTOM to address the glaring issues that have been identified over how it is currently operating.”
Farming minister Daniel Zeichner said the government will do "whatever it takes to protect our nation's farmers from the risk posed by foot-and-mouth".
He added: "That is why restrictions have immediately been brought in on animal products from Germany to prevent an outbreak, and we will not hesitate to add additional countries to the list if the disease spreads.
"We will continue to keep the situation under review, working closely with the German authorities."
