Farmers are urging ministers to crack down on illegal meat smuggling amid warnings that weak enforcement at UK ports is leaving the livestock sector exposed to devastating disease outbreaks.
Liberal Democrat MP Danny Chambers has challenged the government over what he described as serious gaps in the powers available to authorities tackling illegal meat entering the country through ports such as Dover.
The Winchester MP warned that unregulated imports pose a major biosecurity risk, increasing the threat of notifiable diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever reaching the UK.
For livestock farmers, the arrival of a notifiable disease could mean immediate movement restrictions, mass culls and the loss of hard-won export markets, with severe consequences for farm businesses and rural economies.
Illegal meat imports — often carried into the UK in personal luggage or unregulated shipments — risk introducing diseases that could cripple farming and disrupt food supply chains.
Concerns over smuggled meat have been repeatedly raised by the farming industry, with groups warning that current enforcement measures fail to protect farmers who invest heavily in biosecurity on their own holdings.
Dr Chambers said he had seen the problem first-hand during a recent visit to the Port of Dover organised by the National Pig Association, where he was shown seized illegal meat products.
Farmers have long argued that while they face strict regulation, inspections and penalties on-farm, those smuggling illegal meat into the UK face little meaningful deterrent at the border.
Speaking during a parliamentary debate, Dr Chambers urged ministers to properly fund and equip port teams and give them the powers needed to stop illegal imports.
“One crime that most concerns farmers in Hampshire and around the country is that of illegal meat imports,” he said.
He warned the issue went beyond public health, adding: “This is not only a public health issue; it puts the UK livestock industry at risk of a notifiable disease outbreak, such as foot and mouth disease.”
Dr Chambers highlighted what he described as a fundamental flaw in the current enforcement system. “If I were caught driving illegal meat into the UK in a lorry, the authorities would not have the powers to arrest me and would not be allowed to seize the lorry,” he said.
Instead, he said the vehicle would be cleaned and disinfected “at the taxpayer’s expense before sending me on my way”.
“Does the Minister agree that this is absolutely crazy and will she look at how we can equip the hard-working teams at the ports with the powers needed to provide a proper deterrent to stop this meat coming in?” he asked.
Responding, minister for policing and crime Sarah Jones said the issue was “of course very important”. “We need to make sure that we do not have illegal meat coming into the country,” she said.
She added that colleagues in Defra and on the front bench would “of course take these issues seriously” and said she was “very happy to take this matter further and come back to the honourable gentleman”. However, she did not commit to any immediate changes to enforcement powers.
Last year, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee warned there was no effective deterrent in place to prevent illegal meat smuggling and called on Defra to urgently introduce fines and prosecutions for repeat offenders.
The committee warned that without tougher penalties and enforcement, the UK remains vulnerable to a major disease outbreak that could wipe out years of breeding, investment and biosecurity work carried out by British farmers.
