Are we ignoring potential biosecurity risks to livestock farmers?

UK farmers face a wide range of regulations and laws covering the treatment of animals, food safety, consumer standards and the protection of the environment. One issue that most people agree on is that it doesn’t make sense to allow any imports to have lower standards than exist in the UK as this just undermines our own farmers and poses risks to citizens.

A key area of this legislation relates to food biosecurity standards and the need to maintain strict, science-based controls to ensure food safety and prevent the spread of diseases.

Avian flu is difficult to entirely eliminate as it is spread by migratory birds over wintering in the UK from countries where Avian Influenza is highly active. Two cases of bird flu or Avian Influenza (HPAVI - H5N1) were recently reported locally. As a result, protection zones were put in place by DEFRA. 

Foot and mouth and African swine fever are mainly transmitted by contaminated meat so in theory outbreaks can be controlled with strict border controls.

There have recently been confirmed cases of foot and mouth in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. The single confirmed case in Germany in January  2025 is estimated to have cost one billion euros. The 2001 outbreak in the UK resulted in the culling of nearly 6.5 million animals and cost about £8 billion (at 2001 prices).

African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs and wild boar. There have been recent outbreaks in many Eastern European countries but there has never been a major outbreak of swine fever in the UK.

However, there is a significant and glaring problem of illegal meat  smuggling partly due the the higher cost of producing high quality meat in the UK. The volume of illegally imported meat seized at Dover has increased 20 fold in the last 3 years. Illegal meat imports are now being found in food establishments in Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

The illegal trade appears to be driven by smuggling gangs using a range of small producers in countries like Romania. The meat is being transported in unsanitary conditions in unrefrigerated trucks by drivers who are on the road for multiple days. If the driver is apprehended in the UK they have their meat confiscated but there are no further consequences and they are free to try again.

The NFU and some MPs have been highlighting concerns about this illegal trade. Unless a more coordinated and stronger set of enforcement rules are introduced we are likely to be running a major biosecurity risk.