CONDUCT OF THE INQUIRY
3. Following the announcement of the Government's
Action Plan, the Committee agreed to appoint a Sub-committee to
examine:
"the adequacy of the Government's Action Plan,
published on 28 March 2002, intended to address concerns about
the risk of disease from meat and other food products illegally
smuggled into the United Kingdom. In particular it will make use
of examples of policies and practices adopted by other countries
in assessing the Action Plan".[6]
We received written submissions from seventeen interested
parties and took oral evidence on two occasions, from the Chartered
Institute of Environmental Health, the National Farmers' Union,
the Association of Port Health Authorities and The Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In addition we visited
Heathrow Airport, where we met local port health officials and
HM Customs and Excise officers. We are grateful to all those who
helped us in any way during our inquiry.
4. In this brief Report, we begin by commenting on
the scale of the problem. We then consider the initial reaction
to the Government's Illegal Imports Action Plan and comment on
different aspects of the Plan. Finally we comment on the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs's co-ordinating role and
on the review that the Government is currently undertaking of
the roles, structure and financing of the various agencies involved
in tackling illegal meat imports.[7]
5. We also take note of the report of the Royal Society
inquiry into Infectious diseases in livestock, which was
published on 16 July 2002.[8]
In part the report addresses the problem of illegal meat imports,
and we welcome its observations, many of which chime with our
own. In particular, we note its concern that "as a result
of globalisation, the risk of invasion by exotic (ie. non-endemic)
animal diseases has increased", and its conclusion that "the
United Kingdom, and the European union, should seek to retain
'disease-free' status with respect to foot and mouth disease
and the other most serious infectious diseases".[9]
THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM
6. The very fact that illegal meat imports are illegal
means that it is impossible to establish exactly the size of the
problem.[10] What is
clear is that many countries are faced by this problem. On a recent
visit to New Zealand the Select Committee was apprised of the
difficulties that it has in protecting itself from illegal imports.
Both the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Association
of Port Health Authorities were able to provide us with some data
and estimates that, at least, enable an indication of the scale
of the problem in the United Kingdom:
- between three and five million tonnes of bush
meat is produced in Central and Western Africa annually;[11]
- "after narcotics and arms, the trade in
unfit and illegal meat is the third most lucrative illegal enterprise
in this country, netting over £1 billion worth of trade illegally";[12]
- flights at Gatwick Airport were targeted in thirty
special operations between 31 March 2001 and 30 March 2002 - a
total of 257 passengers were detected carrying illegal meat and
there was at least one instance of importing illegal meat on each
of the thirty occasions;[13]
- whilst we were at Heathrow we were told of three
operations in which a total of 681 kilogrammes of illegal meat
imports were detected in personal baggage; and
- the Port of London Port Health Authority told
us that he did not believe that "the problem has diminished
at all in London in the last year".[14]
Table 1: Illegal Meat Imports - Seizures
Reported by the Association of Port
Health Authorities[15]
