No biosecurity checks make UK borders vulnerable to ASF, says BMPA
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has called on the government to put in place measures to educate people travelling to and from the UK on the risks of African Swine Fever (ASF), as cases are increasingly reported across Europe.
According to a recent government report, the ASF virus has been found across Germany and on a pig farm close to the French border. BMPA asserts that this case is most likely to have occurred due contaminated meat products being discarded near the farm by people travelling into the area.
The UK is currently free of African Swine Fever. BMPA said that this latest development has prompted concern amongst domestic pig farmers and processors that no upheld border checks on food coming into the UK leaves them vulnerable to an outbreak of the virus.
BMPA claimed that any farm where an infection occurs would lead to the entire herd being culled, regardless of how many animals are affected.
It said: “On a wider scale, the arrival of ASF would cause an immediate ban on UK pork exports to some of the UK’s biggest international trading partners, including China. This would cause a significant drop in meat exports and cost the industry millions in lost trade.
“Technically, inbound visitors to the UK are no longer allowed to bring in food items post-Brexit, however this rule is currently being waived and there is still little or no signage at ports of entry informing people of the new rules.”
Urgent action needed
Nick Allen, CEO of BMPA said: “We are calling on the government to make travellers more aware of the risks of bringing prohibited food items into the UK and to encourage them to dispose of those products responsibly before entry. We would also like to see spot checks introduced as a further measure to improve biosecurity.”
BMPA said that these measures alone won’t “completely insulate Britain from African Swine Fever”, but any additional measures would be better than the open border policy currently that is currently in place.
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