Dover officials warning over Defra’s plans to slash funding for illegal meat seizures
Defra is planning to slash funding for vital work in seizing illegal meat imports at the Port of Dover, in a move officials within Dover Council have warned could have disastrous consequences for the UK pig sector.
Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) and the Council are urging the Department to reconsider a proposed 70% cut to this budget, and also a separate proposal to transfer official import checks 22 miles inland to near Ashford when the Government’s Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) comes into full effect at the end of April.
The team at DPHA, working with UK Border Force, seized 1.1 tonnes of illegally imported meat at Dover in just a few hours on Saturday, alone, highlighting the scale and importance of this work, undertaken specifically to keep African swine fever (ASF) out of the country.
Since Defra introduced new rules in September 2022 making it illegal to bring pork and pork products over 2kg into GB, unless produced to the EU’s commercial standards, DPHA and Border Force have seized 57 tonnes of meat products, often bought in in very large quantities.
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