§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the risks to human health from illegal imports of meat. [165202]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that it has developed a risk profile of the microbiological risks to public health from illegally imported meat.
On the basis of the risk profile, the FSA does not believe there is currently the evidence to suggest the need for a formal risk assessment. However, the FSA will continue to monitor the available data and review the risk profile.
The United Kingdom public health bodies involved in the investigation of outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease have not traced any outbreaks of human disease in the UK to illegally imported meat.
The FSA's advice to UK consumers is that illegally imported meat should not be eaten because it will not have been subject to proper controls at the point of production and will have evaded export controls in the country of origin and import controls at the port of entry to the EU. These controls are designed to verify compliance with food safety standards, and such illegal imports cannot legally be sold in the UK.
The FSA has advised local authorities, which are responsible for enforcement of imported food and food safety legislation, that all illegally imported food products, including meat, should be removed from the human food chain. The FSA is also working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and HM Customs and Excise to assist in the targeting of enforcement work to detect and seize illegal meat imports.