MP for Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart, has said that the seizure of illegal meat at the Port of Larne is ‘deeply concerning’.
Around 600kg of meat was discovered in a vehicle arriving from Stranraer in Scotland on January 16.
The vehicle is initially thought to have travelled from the EU, entering the UK via Dover or another port in the east of England, before arriving in Stranraer to board the ferry to Northern Ireland.
The MP said that the illegal cargo evaded detection at three port checkpoints before arriving in Larne, “This is totally incomprehensible and rings alarm bells at just how weak GB border security and biosecurity measures really are.”
Lockhart explained that she would be writing to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to reiterate the call for an urgent review of the Border Target Operating Model (BOTM) at ferry ports, calling the current system in place “inadequate.”
“Defra needs to address this issue as a matter of urgency, providing more funding and manpower to enhance its controls and bio-security,” she said.
Lockhart added that in early December more than 6t of illegal meat was confiscated at the same port within a 14-hour period, and that the haul contained pork sourced from areas in Romania which are affected by African swine fever.
The MP also referenced the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Germany. Following reports of the disease in a herd of water buffalo, the UK implemented a ban on live cattle, meat, and dairy products imported from Germany.
The DUP MP continued: “The government needs to double-down on the criminal gangs responsible for the illegal smuggling of meat from central and eastern Europe.”
During the National Farmers Union (NFU) conference this week, Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told farmers that the government would not stand for the importation of food produced to lower quality standards.
In his speech Reed said that more than 92,000kg of illegal meat products were seized at ports across the UK over the last year.
“They carry huge risk of diseases such as African swine fever and foot and mouth getting into the country. We can’t tolerate this,” Reed said.
The secretary revealed that he was working with the Home Office and the Border Force on plans to seize the vehicles used to import illegal meat and crush them.
