§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make 937W a statement on recent changes to the regulations on meat imports; and what action her Department has taken since February 2001 to prevent the import of illegal meat into the UK. [52475]
§ Mr. MorleyWe amended legislation on 1 May 2001 to make it easier for local authorities to take action where meat, which could have been imported illegally, is found. Legislation has been laid before Parliament which includes new powers for enforcement officers (already available to customs officers) to search baggage, etc. for illegal imports of animal products.
Since February 2001 we have taken a range of initiatives aimed at improving our ability to prevent and detect illegal imports of animal products. These initiatives have been co-ordinated by officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, but involve other Departments such as HM Customs and Excise and the Food Standards Agency, and the local authorities who are responsible for controls at ports and airports. We have concentrated on raising public awareness of our import rules through our embassies, and strengthening intelligence gathering and sharing to improve targeting of anti-smuggling measures. We also introduced new posters which are displayed at airports and ports to ensure that travellers are aware of the restrictions on what may be imported. On 28 March we published an action plan. This plan commits Government to a range of measures including completing a risk assessment of disease risks posed by illegal imports of meat. The action plan is available in the Library of the House.