Are the UK’s border biosecurity measures working? MPs to examine
At 10am on Tuesday 4 February, the EFRA Committee will hold the first evidence session of its animal and plant health inquiry.
The session will examine how effectively controls on personal and commercial imports are protecting the UK’s animal and plant biosecurity, food hygiene and public health.
MPs will hear from witnesses from Border Force and Dover Port Health Authority, as well as a Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner.
Meeting details
In light of the present risks of foot and mouth disease and African swine fever, the main focus of the session will be products of animal origin.
The Committee’s inquiry comes amid continued concerns that large quantities of illegal meat are being brought into the UK. In October, the BBC reported that the amount of illegal meat seized by Border Force officials alone doubled from almost 35,000kg in 2022/23 to more than 70,000kg in 2023/24.
MPs will delve into the nature and scale of the problem of meat smuggling and the extent of organised criminal activity. They will explore where non-compliant products of animal origin are ending up in the UK.
The Committee will also investigate the capacity and resourcing of the responsible authorities to adequately protect UK borders from biosecurity risks and will ask witnesses about intelligence and data sharing.