Farmer Focus: Illegal raw pork at ports is terrifying
© Tim Scrivener Finally! The end of September saw an average of 200p/kg for a load of pigs. But AHDB estimates average production cost was at 224p/kg that month, so there is a long way to go.
There are real fears of costs increasing further now Putin has shaken the grain markets up again.
It’s now the end of October, and Halloween is upon us as I write this.
I’ve never been one to embrace the festivities of Halloween, but I must say I was given a fright today when catching up on some recent industry news.
See also: New ASF variant casts doubt on China’s pig market recovery
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I was shocked to hear the findings from a report by the Dover Port Health Authority, which were summarised by the MP for Dover and Deal, Natalie Elphicke, in the House of Commons during a debate on 18 October.
More than 20 vehicles were searched during a 24-hour period over a weekend and one of the many terrifying findings was a taped-up wheelie bin.
At the bottom of this was “raw, unlabelled and loosely-wrapped pork” and the remainder of the space was made up of “other products intended for free circulation within the UK”.
It’s incredibly scary to think there are huge numbers of vehicles going through the port every day that aren’t searched and could have illegal imports that pose such a threat to human and animal health.
I find it rather frustrating that this sort of news isn’t given enough coverage. If consumers got to hear about this, I’m sure the importance of where food comes from would increase for many.
African swine fever (ASF) entering the UK is starting to be widely viewed as a question of “when” as opposed to “if” it comes in.
All we, as an independent producer, can do is continue to follow our biosecurity protocols.
However, I don’t have take a great deal of comfort or optimism from an MP who has said the illegal pork trade in her own constituency is “rife”, and that the government has been advised that “biosecurity at the border is not secure”.
There is only one form of freight the government should be discussing this Halloween!