§ Mr. LidingtonTo a ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions concerning the illegal import of meat have been initiated as a result of the detector dogs experiment at Heathrow. [109853]
§ Margaret Beckett[holding answer 28 April 2003]. No prosecutions have been undertaken as a result of seizures made by the detector dogs.
A decision to bring a prosecution before the courts 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.
The six-month detector dog pilot resulted in just under 10 tonnes of illegal products of animal origin being seized.
Responsibility for the detector dogs was fully transferred to HM Customs and Excise on 1 May, as part of a wider transfer of anti-smuggling controls for products of animal origin.