IMPORT CHECKS
IMPORT CHECKS
PUT TO SHAME
I feel it is important to inform you of the experiences I have had in the past year of travelling. Coming from a farming background and hearing the latest about foot-and-mouth, I can only agree with FARMERS WEEKLYs campaign for Britain to have tighter import controls.
I left Britain last August and in the past year I have travelled through America, Canada, Mexico, Equador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya.
I recently flew home from Nairobi into Gatwick airport and it was the first country out of the huge list above that did not mention anything about importing products into the country.
In every country, even in the so-called Third World countries, there were regulations, huge signs and/or bins for seeds, animal, wooden, dairy, fruit, vegetable and soiled products. There were no signs in Gatwick, not even a poster telling you not to bring in any sort of food products.
I walked through without even having to open my passport and none of my bags were checked! It is a wonder we have not had problems before this. I went through the something to declare section. I had camped in farming grounds through Africa and asked to have my boots disinfected. The one sleepy lady minding this section told me that Britain was clear of F&M and that there was no need for this. I find this an interesting attitude for a country that is fighting F&M and was appalled to discover on the internet that night that there were three cases in Crickhowell alone that day.
My Canadian friend who I was travelling with, could not believe how slack Britain was – she had walked straight through "nothing to declare" and it was not even manned.
How different to the customs in many other countries. In Australia and New Zealand, for example, your bags are searched by dogs and everywhere you look you are warned to bin animal and food products or there is a heavy fine. The Australian fine was thousands of dollars, which acts as a very good deterrent. However, Britain does not value its farmers or its countryside enough to offer the same protection.
I believe we have a huge struggle on our hands to protect our farmers now and in the future. Improving our Customs is vital.
Miss J Harris, Pantycaragle, Beguildy, Knighton, Powys.