§ Lord Rotherwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
In the light of the 600 alleged seizures of illegal meat by sniffer dogs in the last six months, how many persons have been prosecuted; and [HL1574]
Why there have been so few prosecutions of people caught bringing illegal meats into the United Kingdom in the last year; and [HL1575]
Whether they intend to prosecute people caught bringing illegal meats into the United Kingdom. [HL1576]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)No prosecutions have been undertaken as a result of seizures made by the detector dogs.
A decision to bring a prosecution before the courts is a matter for the enforcement authority. It would take into account a number of factors, including the weight of evidence to prove intent to break the laws in question and the ability to bring the offender before the British courts. These criteria may not be easy to satisfy in the case of air passengers bringing in meat illegally, especially where small quantities are seized.
In many cases, other penalties may be more appropriate. All seizures are confiscated and destroyed. We have been working with the Home Office to add details of repeat offenders to the warning index used by immigration officers.
Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have discussed with enforcement officers on a number of occasions the circumstances under which prosecutions might be brought against those importing meat illegally. We have made clear that prosecutions are an important aspect of deterrence which we would like to see used where there is clear evidence of a serious breach in the rules. We have also worked with the Magistrates' Association to raise awareness of the seriousness of illegal imports and to highlight the penalties available.