Committee writes to Biosecurity Minister on the Government’s response to FMD outbreak in Germany and urges continued funding for Dover meat inspections
11 February 2025
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has today written to the Baroness Hayman of Ullock, the Defra Minister responsible for biosecurity and borders, to request a timeline of Defra’s response to the 10 January report of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Germany. The Committee heard in evidence last week that a Government IT system took 6-7 days to implement Defra’s restrictions on German imports.
The Committee asks the Department to set out when the decision was made to ban the import of relevant goods from Germany, when border control posts were informed and when IPAFFS (Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System) was successfully updated and operating as intended.
The EFRA Committee’s letter follows its evidence session last week on the subject of biosecurity measures at the border. During the session, witnesses told MPs that it was possible for meat and dairy products from Germany to continue entering the UK, “for at least six days” via legitimate commercial routes, despite a ban being brought in on the import of cattle, pigs, sheep, deer, buffaloes and their products from Germany to prevent the spread of FMD.
Committee members ask the Department to confirm the quantity of prohibited goods that were able to enter the country in the time between controls being approved and IPAFFS being updated.
The MPs’ letter also asks the Department to inform them of what steps have been taken to track and remove prohibited products and to explain what assessment Defra has made of the cause of the delay to controls being properly implemented.
As well as writing on foot and mouth disease, the Committee’s letter raises the issue of the funding for ASF (African swine fever) controls delivered by Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA). MPs highlight that the current level of funding only allows the DPHA to provide 20 per cent of operational coverage to deliver checks for illegal meat entering the country. Crucially, that funding is due to cease at the end of March, and the Committee urges the Government to maintain that funding to ensure GB biosecurity.
In the letter, the Chair of the Committee says, “I emphasise that the Government must allocate appropriate funding to DPHA to continue to deliver this work, which is of critical national importance”.
Additional correspondence published today:
The EFRA Committee has today also published a range of correspondence it has received, including:
- Correspondence from the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury regarding inheritance tax reform.
- Correspondence from the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs regarding strategy for farming.
The full range of correspondence the Committee has published today is available here.
Further information
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