HL Deb 18 February 2003 vol 644 c172WA
Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there has been any interim report of the work of the Illegal Food Imports Forum, particularly relating to—

  1. (a) risk and the critical points for taking action:
  2. (b) identification of the necessary enforcement measures; and
  3. (c) the legal powers required to support the enforcement measures: and

whether the forum has identified any weaknesses in the rules governing imports from the European Union and from third world countries. [HL1640]

Lord Whitty

The Illegal Imports Forum met once in March 2002 and was attended by representatives of the agricultural, tourism, travel, catering and retail sectors. It provided an opportunity for all those with an interest in the subject of illegal imports to discuss the issues, and its deliberations contributed to the preparation of the Government's action plan. It was not, however, tasked with any follow-up action, and has not therefore produced any reports.

Interim reports on the risk assessment undertaken by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency on behalf of Defra can be viewed on the Defra illegal imports website (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/illegali). The final report on the first phase of the work—dealing with foot and mouth disease—is currently undergoing quality assurance and peer review, and will be published in the next few weeks.