SCOTTISH PIG producers are demanding that something be done about the tide of illegal meat coming into the UK via Dover before the worst happens, and African Swine Fever comes in with it.

A 24-hour undercover investigation at the port found that large amounts of raw animal product are getting into the UK illegally, despite supposedly increased measures to prevent ASF entering the country.

Outgoing 'Brexit Opportunities' Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg's main achievement in office may prove to be the excellent opportunities he created for microbes when he mothballed plans to introduce UK-side checks on EU imports, preferring instead to allow shipments to come in unhindered.

From September 1, it has officially been illegal to bring pork or pork products weighing over 2kg into the country unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards. But at the start of October, 'Operation Ouzo' checked the adequacy of border controls by doing secondary checks on 22 vehicles of Romanian, Moldovan, Ukrainian and Polish origin – and found raw animal products loosely stored in carrier bags and paper tissue without temperature control, refrigeration or labelled identification, and mixed with ready-to-eat products such as cheese, crisps and cake.

Read more: New border checks on pork imports

In one case, raw, unlabelled and loosely-wrapped pork was found at the bottom of a taped-up wheelie bin, which was filled with other products intended for free circulation within the UK. The 22 vehicles searched over the 24-hour period are just a fraction of the numbers of cars entering the UK every day.

According to Dover MP Natalie Elphicke, up to 10,000 cars enter the UK at Dover alone every day. She said: “It is clear that the risk of maggoty meat, meat of unknown origin, which often means horse or other illegal meat, rotting meat due to the lack of temperature controls, as well as fresh blood dripping on to other products, is of real concern.

"The illegal pork trade is rife at the port of Dover – so rife that around 80% of that illegal trade comes through the short straits. Without adequate checks, there is nothing to stop it.”

Ms Elphicke pointed out that a new port health facility at Dover, which was ‘fully ready for border checks’ with extra staff recruited, had been ‘unexpectedly mothballed’ in the summer due to Mr Rees-Mogg's decision to abandon plans for UK checks on EU imports.

Director of the Scottish Pig Disease Control Centre, Andy McGowan, said: "This is deeply disturbing and only demonstrates the very real risk that uncontrolled meat imports present to both people and animals.

"22 vans were checked and illegal meat imports were found in 21 of them. Unfortunately for us, there are up to 10,000 vehicles crossing the Channel every day so I shudder to think how much sub-standard product finds its way into UK supply chains.

"If the animal health risk is not alarming enough, surely the risk to human health must serve as a wake-up call to UK Government to introduce Import Health Certificates on all meat imports immediately?"