UK faces ASF risks from illegally imported pork
Growing amounts of illegal pork imports into the UK significantly increase the risk of the introduction of African Swine Fever (ASF) into the country.
The National Pig Association (NPA) has therefore called for all non-commercial pork imports to the UK be made illegal and for more resources to be allocated to enforcing the law.
The NPA statement follows the revelation that since September 2022, 57 tonnes of illegally imported pigmeat have been seized in the port of Dover, by far the most important port of entry for foreign goods into the UK. In the weekend before Christmas alone, port authorities seized 5.5 tonnes of illegal meat.
Port health manager Beverley Edmondson said the large quantities seized in Dover port despite “limited resource,” could be just the “tip of the iceberg.”
In an article in the magazine for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (EHN), she commented, “We are seeing unprecedented quantities of illegal, non-compliant meat, unparalleled at any other point of entry. Our experiences over the last 12 months have highlighted the scale and scope of the illegal meat trade, and why our work to remove it from the food chain is so critical. We estimate that, for every tonne of illicit meat removed, there are multiple tonnes entering Great Britain undetected.”