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Tories in warning over 'bush meat' danger
A REDUCTION in the number of Customs officials targeting the importation of illegal meat is putting lives at risk, it is feared.
Tory spokesman on agriculture and rural affairs Jim Paice said that a recent scaling back in the number of officials inspecting and patrolling the UK's borders was increasing the risk of tropical diseases such as the Ebola virus entering the country in illegal meat.
His warning came after new Government figures showed that seizures of illegal food importations fell by 29 per cent last year, with more than 10,000 fewer cases of illegal imports being detected.
The reduction follows the scaling back of Customs officials at entry points into the country.
Between 2006 and 2007 there were more than 35,000 seizures, a figure a Customs spokesman described as "abnormally high" because of increased patrols to tackle the threat of bird flu. However, since the threat subsided deployment of officials had been cut.
The devastating 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease, which cost the UK farming industry billions of pounds, is thought to have been caused by meat brought into the country illegally. Mr Paice said: "Why I find this so worrying an issue is that illegal meat does not just bring in animal disease, it brings in human diseases as well.
"Bush meat from west Africa has the huge potential for tropical diseases such as the Ebola virus to come in, which could pose a serious public health issue.
"I suspect that the reduction of seizures is simply a reflection of the reduction of effort that is going into detection. Given that foot and mouth in 2001 was in all probability caused by illegal meat coming into the country, it defies belief that at the end of the decade very little action has been taken in terms of improvements to Customs."
Over the past 12 months both the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Customs have been running awareness-raising campaigns. Last week Defra launched a short film, Don't Bring Me Back, to spread the message about the serious effects that importing meat illegally could bring.
In a report Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health, said that while scaling back of resources had resulted in a lower seizure level his department had indications travellers were becoming increasingly compliant with UK import rules.
But Mr Paice said: "It is great that Defra has launched a film but why has it taken them until August 2008 when the problem has been going on for almost a decade?"
The new figures, in a Government report, revealed that despite powers allowing offenders to be fined up to 20,000 and jailed for up to six months there were no new prosecutions
for meat smuggling in the past year.
Since 2005 just 11 people have been prosecuted and Mr Paice said more should be done to bring offenders to book. "We are trying to deter people and any prosecutions are part of it."
Tory plans for cracking down on illegal meat imports would include an x-ray system that would scan bags prior to departure to the UK. Data would be sent to Customs officials who could pick up any offenders.
Dorothy Fairburn, Yorkshire director of the Country Land and Business Association, said: "We are nowhere near as effective as other countries like Australia or New Zealand. We just do not seem to be taking the situation seriously. "
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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