Written Question·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·UIN 106807
Meat: Smuggling
Tabled: 19 January 2026
Answered: 2 February 2026
Named DayQuestion
Dr Danny Chambers
Liberal Democrat — Winchester
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether mandatory testing of seized illegal meat imports includes testing for infectious agents such as foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and antimicrobial resistance genes.
Answer
Dame Angela EagleDefra does not test seized illegal meat imports for infectious agents. Border Force and local authorities seize illegal meat imports, which must be safely disposed of in accordance with animal by-products rules.