The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has welcomed a report from MPs highlighting the issue of illegal meat imports which is creating a serious risk to the UK’s biosecurity and food safety.
The report – ‘Biosecurity at the Border: Britain’s Illegal Meat Crisis’ – has been published by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee and concludes that “alarming amounts of meat and dairy products are now being illegally imported to Great Britain for both personal consumption and sale”.
CIEH members work in port health both at the border and inland to protect the biosecurity of the UK against public, animal and environmental health risks presented by foodstuffs, feed and other cross-border hazards.
As highlighted in the report, CIEH raised concerns with the Efra committee that there is currently no mechanism for local and port health authorities to share information with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) or to receive intelligence from Defra, which CIEH said is “a notable gap in the control system for personal imports”.
The Efra committee concludes in the report that there is currently “no identifiable or effective ownership of the issue of illegal meat imports” and that the issue is in “desperate need of focussed, energised leadership and personal accountability”.
It recommends that a taskforce for illegal imports should be established by November this year, led by the Minister for Biosecurity, to “provide oversight of the strategy’s design and implementation and to drive improvements” and CIEH’s critically important voice has been recognised with the composition of the recommended group.
CIEH’s previous campaign work regarding workforce challenges is also reflected within the EFRA report.
CIEH is ready and willing to join the proposed taskforce and has also again called on the Government to ensure “sustained and predictable” funding for the critical work of environmental health professionals.
Tony Baldock, member of the CIEH advisory panel on Port Health and chair of the Association of Port Health Authorities (APHA), said:
“Illegal meat imports pose a serious threat, not only to public health but also to biosecurity and the integrity of our food systems. Environmental health professionals are uniquely positioned to identify, investigate, and help prevent these illicit activities through their expertise in food safety, border controls, and regulatory enforcement.
“As the Efra committee report outlines a coordinated strategy is urgently needed to tackle this growing issue and we would welcome the opportunity to be part of the proposed taskforce and are committed to working collaboratively as part of this process.
“However, we also need action now to help tackle the workforce issues which continue to provide significant challenges with the lack of appropriately trained professionals in the pipeline able to carry out this work both at our borders but also in delivering food safety inspections in our communities.
“Sustained and predictable funding is needed, and we will continue to push the Government to give environmental health professionals the attention and resources they desperately need and ultimately make our communities healthier and safer.”
