The post-Brexit border checks in the UK are failing to stop illegal meat from entering the country, according to a senior health official at the Dover Port Health Authority. Lucy Manzano claims that many lorries that are meant to undergo health checks are not turning up, despite the border control post being located 22 miles away. Manzano also warns that illegal meat, that has failed to go through appropriate checks, is readily available at various stores on the High Street, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to confirm if the meat they purchase has undergone health checks.
Whilst the government has claimed that its new system is capable of keeping the UK disease-free, the failure to enforce the checks is making it easy for illegal meat to be transported without the necessary health checks. Critics of the current system have requested an inquiry to verify its effectiveness and overall performance. The situation has led to an Environment Select Committee referred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), accusing the department of overestimating the new system’s efficacy.
Defra has turned down a Freedom of Information request from the BBC’s Countryfile programme, asking how many vehicles were not turning up for checks at Sevington. The government has also been criticised for not using the health check facility on site at Dover, which creates unnecessary worries for more potential traffic queues forming at the border. Strict restrictions on the import of German meat were introduced in February 2021, but since then, an increased amount of illegal meat has made it through the UK’s borders.
The government granted Dover Port Health Authority funding to carry out spot checks on vehicles directly at the border; however, that funding comes to an end in seven weeks. Manzano claims that without further government funding, the health authority will need to end the border checks, implying ongoing governmental discussions regarding funding’s best way. Despite the claims by the Dover Port Health Authority and the BBC’s previous investigations, Defra denies any issues with the current system and states that the new rules are “working as intended.
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