The UK remains dangerously exposed to devastating animal diseases due to failing border controls and insufficient government preparedness, the National Pig Association (NPA) has told MPs.
In evidence submitted to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into resilience against animal disease threats, the NPA said the country remains poorly protected from serious notifiable diseases and described the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) as “not fit for purpose”.
The submission highlights African swine fever (ASF) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) as the two most significant exotic threats currently facing the UK pig sector.
According to the National Audit Office, the 2001 FMD outbreak cost the public sector an estimated £5.2 billion and the private sector £8.6 billion (adjusted to 2023–24 prices).
While Defra estimates that an ASF outbreak could cost the UK between £10 million and £100 million, no comprehensive economic impact analysis has been undertaken.
The NPA stated: “Helping to protect England and the UK more broadly from both exotic and endemic animal diseases starts with biosecurity controls at the border and helping prevent such diseases from entering the UK in the first place.”
It warned that the UK remains underprepared for the growing biosecurity risks, especially given the prevalence of ASF in parts of the EU and a resurgence of FMD, with outbreaks reported in Germany, Slovakia and Hungary since January 2025.
To strengthen national resilience, the NPA is calling for improved checks on all meat imports and increased resources at major points of entry, including the Port of Dover.
The organisation also raised serious concerns about enforcement of personal meat import controls. Since ASF-specific measures were introduced in September 2022, the Dover Port Health Authority has seized over 243 tonnes of illegally imported meat products—despite being underfunded and able to inspect only a small proportion of vehicles.
“Control measures of this kind are only effective if port health authorities, local authorities, and Border Force have sufficient resource to implement and enforce them,” the NPA stressed.
The BTOM’s effectiveness for commercial imports was also criticised. The association claimed that very few physical inspections are being carried out on products of animal origin from non-EU countries.
At the newly opened Sevington Border Control Post, where 100 inspections per day are expected, fewer than 10% are reportedly being completed.
The submission also flagged a loophole allowing consignments to be automatically cleared if inspection decisions are not made within a two-hour window (the Timed-Out Decision Contingency Feature, or TODCOF).
Meanwhile, the Port of Dover has reported an increase in goods bearing health marks indicating they are not permitted to leave their country of origin—such as Romania, where ASF remains widespread.
The NPA concluded: “The BTOM in its current form is not fit for purpose and is highly vulnerable to exploitation from organised crime.”
The association also expressed concerns over the government’s capacity to respond effectively to a notifiable disease outbreak affecting pigs, particularly if multiple disease threats emerge at once.
“Response to a notifiable disease affecting the pig sector will need to be very rapid, with decisions at ministerial level required. This has not yet been tested under the current government,” the submission noted.
