Illegal meat seizures at Dover port surge 5,500%
© Dover Port Health Authority Concerns raised by the Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) reveal significant weaknesses in the UK’s biosecurity measures, particularly with the rising volume of illegal meat imports.
In January, illegal meat seizures surged by 5,500% at Dover port, increasing from 400kg in 2023 to a staggering 22 tonnes.
These illicit goods, often disguised as personal items, are slipping through inadequate checks at Dover, the UK’s busiest ferry port.
See also: Industry alarm over failures to detect smuggled meat
This smuggling poses severe risks to UK agriculture, potentially introducing diseases like foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever.
Speaking at the NFU conference last week, Defra secretary Steve Reed highlighted the seizure of over 92,000kg of illegal meat products at UK ports in the past year, which pose significant risks of diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever.
He emphasised the importance of tackling this issue, announcing his collaboration with the Home Office and Border Force to confiscate and crush vehicles used by criminal gangs to smuggle illegal meat.
Efra Committee inquiry
The latest figures are included in written evidence (PDF) submitted by the DPHA to the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee, which has initiated an inquiry into the country’s biosecurity measures for animal and plant imports.
Tony Goodger, spokesperson for the Association of Independent Meat Traders, expressed frustration: “If there had been a 5,500% increase in drug seizures, heads would probably roll. But since it’s just meat, no one seems to care, despite the grave threats to biosecurity, food security, and international trade.”
The rise in illegal imports is largely attributed to flaws in the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), which has unintentionally opened a “free passage” for illicit goods, especially through personal import routes.
DPHA highlights a lack of enforcement and inadequate facilities at Dover. The absence of a border control post (BCP) at the port has worsened the situation, it says.
Inspections currently take place 22 miles inland at Sevington BCP, where there is no real-time oversight of goods moving from Dover, allowing non-compliant products to be released without proper inspection.
DPHA warns that the current system, including the auto-clearance of goods under the BTOM, has failed to protect the UK from harmful imports. They believe that the number of illegal meat imports detected is only “the tip of the iceberg.”
In addition to unchecked goods slipping through, the auto-clearance system has allowed potentially dangerous products to pass without inspection, it adds.
Call for changes
Urgent changes are needed to address these critical issues, DPHA says. It has called for the reopening of Dover’s Bastion Point BCP to handle biosecurity checks directly at the port.
This facility, designed specifically for food imports, could significantly reduce risks to UK agriculture and public health.
DPHA is also demanding sustained funding for border controls, oversight of live systems to detect non-compliant products, and the discontinuation of the auto-clearance system to ensure all imports are properly checked.
A UK government spokesperson responded: “We are unequivocal that importing illegal meat products is unacceptable, which is why suspected products are routinely checked at the border to ensure they don’t reach our shores.”