Meat Imports (Hansard, 26 March 2001)

§ Ms Quin

Meat imported from other European Union countries may circulate freely within the single market, but is subject to random checks at the point of destination within the United Kingdom. If that destination is a licensed meat cutting plant or a cold store, inspections are carried out by the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS), and the costs of inspection are charged to the operator of that premises. If it is a meat products or meat preparations establishment, inspection is carried out either by the MHS, where the establishment is co-located with a slaughterhouse or cutting plant (in which case the costs of inspection are paid by the Food Standards Agency) or by the local authority in other cases (when the costs are met by the local authority). Depending on the perceived health risk, checks at destination may be random or 100 per cent. Following the 519W recent identification of specified risk material in imports of meat from Germany and the current foot and mouth disease problems in the UK, the Meat Hygiene Service has been instructed to step up levels of inspection at cutting plants and cold stores to ensure that increased volumes of imports can be checked for the necessary he health marks and correct documentation.

All meat imported from third countries into the UK must enter, and is subject to veterinary inspections at, designated UK Border Inspection Posts (BIP). All consignments are subject to documentary and identity checks and at least 20 per cent. of consignments are subject to physical checks in accordance with EU legislation. These checks ensure that conditions of import have been complied with and that the products have remained in a satisfactory condition during transport. The inspection services at the BIP are the responsibility of the local authority. UK and EC legislation requires that costs incurred by the local authority while carrying out checks are recovered from the importer.