MP raises concern about dangerous EU meat coming into Northern Ireland via Great Britain

Carla Lockhart MP was speaking after authorities seized 600kg of suspicious meat at Larne, the latest in a series of similar seizures from criminal gangs.

A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture told the News Letter that staff in Larne Port seized 601kg of product of animal origin that arrived in Great Britain from the EU on 16 January 2025.

"The product was not permitted entry to Northern Ireland as it was judged to be non-compliant with Sanitary and Phytosanitary requirements," he said.

But Ms Lockhart said she was "alarmed" by the news, saying such smuggling poses serious health risks to people who eat it - and raises concerns about highly infectious diseases decimating NI livestock.

"The vehicle is initially thought to have travelled from the EU, entering the UK via Dover or another port in the east of England, before arriving in Stranraer to board the ferry to Northern Ireland," she said.

“The offending vehicle and its illegal cargo evaded detection at three port checkpoints before arriving in Larne. This is totally incomprehensible and rings alarm bells at just how weak GB border security and biosecurity measures really are.”

She added: “Those responsible for the illegal imports of meat are also putting human health at risk, as the consignments are not refrigerated and transported in unhygienic vehicles.

“Last year almost 100 tonnes of illegal meat, destined for human consumption, was seized during 868 separate searches at the port of Dover. In early December more than six tonnes was confiscated at the same port within a 14-hour period.

"This haul contained pork sourced from areas in Romania which are affected by African Swine Fever."

The DUP’s Westminster Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson commended the effective controls and vigilance of the Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) for finding the 600kg of meat last month at Larne - but said much more needed to be done in GB ports to stop such meat getting to NI.

She will be writing to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in GB calling for an urgent review.

“The government needs to double-down on the criminal gangs responsible for the illegal smuggling of meat from central and eastern Europe.

“The UK is free of diseases such as African Swine Flu and Foot and Mouth Disease, but these illegal importations are putting our agri-food industry at significant risk. Both diseases are extremely harrowing and would have severe economic consequences for livestock farmers."

One area of significant concern, she said, is the fact that only a small proportion of vehicles arriving at Dover are checked on-site - instead being redirected 20 miles inland for checks at Sevington.

"This situation is beyond belief, especially as the majority of EU imports transit via Dover, and many consignments self-declared as low risk are auto-cleared to avoid delays. How can the government rule out illegal activity?

“DEFRA tries to maintain that robust controls are in place, but they are not!”

However, a DEFRA spokesperson insisted it has strict controls in place.

“This Government will never waver in its duty to support the UK’s biosecurity and preserve our food supply,” they said. “That’s why we immediately brought in restrictions on animal products from Germany to prevent an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.

“While the UK has never had an outbreak of African Swine Fever, we are not complacent and have strict import controls in place.

"We are unequivocal that importing illegal meat products is unacceptable and suspected products are routinely checked at the border to ensure they don’t reach our shores.”