Illegal Meat Imports (Hansard, 27 January 2003)

§ Geraldine Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to prevent illegal meat imports into Britain. [91996]

§ Mr. Morley
Significant progress has been made to implement the Government's action plan, published in March 2002. The action plan will be revised shortly in consultation with stakeholders to include a longer-term enforcement strategy, further development of detection initiatives, and enhanced and coordinated publicity materials.
A Cabinet Office review of enforcement structures concluded that all activity against smuggling of meat, animal products, fish and plant matter will move to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, to objectives agreed with Defra. A new ministerial group will oversee improved coordination between the main control agencies.
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The results of the disease risk assessment commissioned by Defra from the Veterinary Laboratory Agency, are being subjected to processes of quality assurance and peer review. The full report will be published in the next few weeks when these are complete.
Extra funding this financial year has been used primarily for additional enforcement officers to perform checks on imports at a number of ports and airports. Legislation was amended in May 2002 to provide enforcement officers with additional search powers, and written guidance was provided to them on the use of these powers, especially with regard to checks for illegal meat imports in passenger baggage.
Enforcement officers have improved access to intelligence to aid them in deploying anti-smuggling measures since a central computer database was established in April 2001. Notably they receive monthly reports of products seized and notified to Defra.
We are carrying out a six-month pilot using detector dogs to find illegal animal products in passenger baggage and freight. The pilot is proving valuable in determining the attributes and level of training required for both dogs and their handlers and the back-up services we need to support the dog teams.
X-ray equipment is being used, on a trial basis, at a seaport to detect illicit material hidden in commercial freight. Defra is working with the Foreign Office and Customs on a pilot to test x-ray technology on air passenger baggage.
Public awareness is being increased through penalty posters and information leaflets at airports and seaports. Public information videos have been produced and are being broadcast on television. Negotiations are on-going with airlines to show them in-flight. The posters have been updated, and new literature is being produced, to highlight the new tighter personal import rules which came into effect on 1 January 2003 as a result of UK pressure on the European Commission.

§ Mr. Gardiner
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the Veterinary Laboratory Agency risk analysis report into animal health from illegal meat importation. [92612]

§ Mr. Morley
Emerging results of the risk assessment are currently being subjected to peer review and quality assurance procedures. The complexity of the work, and the necessity to complete the quality assurance and peer review processes, have delayed publication. We now hope to be in a position to publish by early March.

§ Mr. Gardiner
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what instructions her Department has issued to local authority environment health officers and port health authorities about illegal meat importation. [92614]

§ Mr. Morley
The Department produced new enforcement guidance in conjunction with the enforcement agencies. This was published in August 2002 and has just been updated to take account of the new European personal import rules that came into force on 1 January. We are also discussing prosecutions policy with enforcement agencies.
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The Food Standards Agency has also issued guidance letters to port health authorities and local authorities to ensure there is continued vigilance and checks on imported products both at the point of import and at the retail level. In collaboration with Defra, the FSA is developing a training programme to provide information to all local authorities on imported food issues.

§ Tony Cunningham
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking to prevent the illegal entry of meat into the UK. [92880]

§ Mr. Morley
[holding answer 23 January 2003]: Significant progress has been made to implement the Government's action plan, published in March 2002. The action plan will be revised shortly in consultation with stakeholders to include a longer-term enforcement strategy, further development of detection initiatives, and enhanced and coordinated publicity materials
A Cabinet Office review of enforcement structures concluded that all activity against smuggling of meat, animal products, fish and plant matter will move to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, to objectives agreed with Defra. A new ministerial group will oversee improved co-ordination between the main control agencies.
The results of the disease risk assessment commissioned by Defra from the Veterinary Laboratory Agency, are being subjected to processes of quality assurance and peer review. The full report will be published in the next few weeks when these are complete.
Extra funding this financial year has been used primarily for additional enforcement officers to perform checks on imports at a number of ports and airports.
Legislation was amended in May 2002 to provide enforcement officers with additional search powers, and written guidance was provided to them on the use of these powers, especially with regard to checks for illegal meat imports in passenger baggage.
Enforcement officers have improved access to intelligence to aid them in deploying anti-smuggling measures since a central computer database was established in April 2001. Notably they receive monthly reports of products seized and notified to Defra.
We are carrying out a six-month pilot using detector dogs to find illegal animal products in passenger baggage and freight. The pilot is proving valuable in determining the attributes and level of training required for both dogs and their handlers and the back up services we need to support the dog teams.
X-ray equipment is being used, on a trial basis, at a seaport to detect illicit material hidden in commercial freight. Defra is working with the Foreign Office and Customs on a pilot to test x-ray technology on air passenger baggage.
Public awareness is being increased through penalty posters and information leaflets at airports and seaports, Public information videos have been produced and are being broadcast on television. Negotiations are ongoing with airlines to show them in-flight. The posters have been updated, and new literature is being 557W produced, to highlight the new tighter personal import rules which came into effect on 1 January 2003 as a result of UK pressure on the European Commission.