Britain exposed to “alarming” amounts of illegally imported meat and dairy products, flags EFRA report

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) has revealed the extent of Britain’s illegal meat crisis in a new report that contains a series of stark findings, including alarming volumes of illegal meat and dairy products being covertly imported into the country.

EFRA — which scrutinizes the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) — report details the connection between high illegal meat imports into the UK and the risk of animal diseases associated with them. 

The dossier states that criminal enterprises are using personal import routes to smuggle large quantities of illegal meat for sale around the country. Trade restrictions and damage to domestic European markets have motivated some in affected countries to circumvent import rules and restrictions on their domestic and international sales and look for markets in Britain.

The report speaks of an established market in the UK for prohibited, culturally preferred products like pork products from Eastern Europe.

It says in some cases, “white van smugglers” using personal import routes have increased and are bringing in commercial loads as they do not want to pay the high port health charges, or the Common User Charge that Defra is collecting from legitimate importers through Dover and the Eurotunnel.”

Animal diseases

Chair of the EFRA Committee, Alistair Carmichael MP, says, “Every day, vans laden with undeclared, unhygienic and unrefrigerated meat are rolling through our ports for distribution and sale in Britain. The authorities tasked with tackling this wave of illegal produce find themselves without the necessary leadership, resources, and intelligence to do so.”

“It would not be an exaggeration to say that Britain is sleepwalking through its biggest food safety crisis since the horse meat scandal. A still bigger concern is the very real risk of a major animal disease outbreak. The single case of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Germany this year, most likely caused by illegally imported meat, cost its economy one billion euros.

There is a mounting array of risks from illegally imported meat, according to the report, which cites a series of animal diseases like African swine fever (ASF) and FMD, while new infectious diseases are emerging and existing diseases are spreading to new areas and new species. Simultaneously, the risk of antimicrobial resistance grows, which impacts threats to animal health, trade, and human health.

Although the UK remains free from ASF currently, there are significant risks to the country. The pig and pork industry highlights that if ASF were to hit Britain, there would be immediate losses in the pork export market, control zones and movement restrictions on animals, people and vehicles, and the culling of infected herds.

Public health risks

The report also outlines how illegal meat entering Britain brings with it a much higher food safety risk, particularly from bacteria like campylobacter, salmonella, and E. coli, viruses like rotavirus, hepatitis A, and hepatitis E, and parasites like trichinella, cryptosporidium, and giardia.

“Unlike legitimate commercial imports, smuggled meat is undocumented and untraceable. This means we do not know how the animal was reared and slaughtered, or how the meat has been handled or stored. This meat falls far below the strict standards we require of British producers and legitimate importers, and that consumers expect,” says the report. 

Reacting to the report, National Farmers Union president Tom Bradshaw tells Food Ingredients First, “The EFRA committee report highlights the concerns that we have been raising for the past few years, that increasing illegal meat imports heightens the risk of animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease and African swine fever coming to our shores, threatening not only livestock farming businesses, our economy and national food security, but hugely impacting the UK’s ability to trade.”

“We need a coordinated strategy across government, local authorities, and local port health authorities, and sufficient investment to counter the biosecurity risks the UK faces from these illegal meat imports. The government has committed to toughening the penalties for those who are caught, and we must see that implemented immediately so vehicles involved can be crushed at the earliest opportunity.”

Investing in robust borders

The British Poultry Council (BPC) shares concerns over illegal imports of meat and dairy products. Chief executive Richard Griffiths says: “This report highlights how decades of work to strengthen UK food security, biosecurity, and animal health are being undermined by illegal meat.”

“British poultry plays a crucial role in ensuring our national food security. Report findings confirm what the sector has long warned: a lack of targeted investment at the border leaves the UK exposed to the consequences of animal disease.”

“The lack of clear ownership, resources, and coordination in this area is unacceptable. We support the Committee’s call for a national taskforce and a coherent strategy to tackle products of animal origin (POAO) smuggling.”

Protecting food supply chains

Meanwhile, the BVA highlights how vital it is to have robust import controls in place in Britain as a key line of defense against disease. 

The Committee says that although animal disease threats are a national security issue, there is “currently no identifiable or effective ownership of the issue of illegal meat smuggling.” It calls on Defra to create a strategy for products of animal origin (POAO) smuggling, in collaboration with the National Food Crime Unit, the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit, port health authorities, inland local authorities, and Border Force.