Surveilance needed to stop illegal food imports

"Farmers are playing their part to help prevent the spread of diseases, but more needs to be done to prevent the disease entering the country, via the import of illegal food in the first place," is what Ed Bailey, NFU Cymru President, told David Jones, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at The Wales Office, during this week’s Denbigh and Flint Show.

The stern message leads on from figures released by DEFRA, that more than 21,200 illegal food items were seized by UK enforcement agencies such as the UK Border Agency last year alone. The biggest type of product seized is meat followed by dairy with 12,943 meat seizures taking place in 2009/10 and 9,108 dairy seizures.

Ed Bailey said, "Worryingly, in 2009/2010 the quantity of illegal food items brought into the UK from non-EU countries which got seized at our ports and airports equates to more than 50 seizures a day.

"Food, in particular meat and dairy products, can carry pests and diseases such as foot and mouth disease, swine fever and avian flu which have, in the past decade, caused devastation to the UK farming industry. Whilst the enforcement agencies carry out good work and need to be commended for their diligence, given the level of seizures last year what we are farmers want is increased surveillance in place to protect public health, our farming livestock, crops and the environment from these exotic pests and diseases.

It is believed that the majority of the food items are brought back for a ’taste of home’, regardless of the fact that many of these products can now be bought in the UK.

Mr Bailey ended, "The onus is on all of us who travel abroad, whether for business or pleasure reasons, to follow the rules on personal imports and accept responsibility. Anyone caught transporting illegal goods could face a substantial fine."