INFORMATION BULLETIN
Date: 24 July 2008
Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR
Out of hours telephone 020 7270 8960
Annual review of controls on imports of animal products: April 2007 – March 2008
The Annual Review of Controls on Imports of Animal Products 2007/08 has been published today.
This year’s Review recognises the progress that has been made and highlights the combined activities and effort of Defra, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Animal Health and the Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Defra, HMRC and the FSA have continued to raise public awareness of illegal imports and the risks involved. Highlights include refreshing the Defra personal imports publicity campaign, online advertising and producing a documentary style film for BEN TV.
All bodies responsible for enforcement are working to prevent illegal imports of animal products. HMRC remains committed to taking risk based measures to prevent illegal imports, and continues to target the routes that pose the greatest disease risk. Latest figures show that the number of seizures of illegally imported animal products made between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 were 24,956.
Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health said:
“We will continue to monitor and assess the changing threats from around the world, and work with HMRC/United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) to make sure that our enforcement activity is targeted at current risks.
“Defra and HMRC continue to undertake extensive publicity within the United Kingdom (UK), at the border and overseas. In January 2008 Defra re-launched its personal food imports campaign with a greater emphasis on trying to encourage behavioural change amongst travellers.”
The Review also covers the legal controls in place to ensure that animal products from non-European Union (EU) countries meet EU veterinary import conditions.
The Review can be viewed at: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/illegali/pdf/review0407-0308.pdf (PDF 1.2 MB)
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Notes to Editors
1. To check the rules on what food products you can and cannot bring into the UK, please visit: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/illegali/default.htm
2. It is against the law to bring any meat and dairy products into the UK from countries outside the EU, even for your own personal use. Bans or weight restrictions also apply to other food products, including fish, shellfish, honey, eggs and egg products, fruits and vegetables. The same rules apply to any products sent by post. These products have the potential to bring diseases and pests that can have a devastating effect on farming. Some products may also contain residues or contaminants that harm human/public health.
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Page published: 24 July 2008