Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
52nd Report - Resilience to threats from animal disease
Public Accounts Committee
HC 885
Published 5 November 2025
Conclusions (4)
26
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
Illegally imported meat and animal products, which have not gone through checks to confirm they are disease-free and conform to UK health standards, pose a significant and growing threat for introducing new animal diseases, such as African swine fever. Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) seized 22 tonnes of illegal meat …
Government Response Summary
The government has a plan to address illegal imports outlined in its response to the EFRA Committee, has stepped up communications to travellers, is focusing on its relationship with Dover Port Health Authority, and is actively considering increases to funding for Dover Port Health Authority. APHA will publish details of a new methodology to improve estimates of illegal meat imports in early 2026 with data analysis to follow at the end of 2026.
27
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
Port Health Authorities and Border Force are responsible for seizing illegal meat and animal product imports at ports.38 The Department praised DPHA and Border Force for their work at Dover and confirmed that it has provided £9 million of funding to DPHA to support work on illegal meat imports.39 However, …
Government Response Summary
The government has a plan to address illegal imports outlined in its response to the EFRA Committee, has stepped up communications to travellers, is focusing on its relationship with Dover Port Health Authority, and is actively considering increases to funding for Dover Port Health Authority. APHA will publish details of a new methodology to improve estimates of illegal meat imports in early 2026 with data analysis to follow at the end of 2026.
28
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s recent report on illegal meat imports also raised serious concerns about the threat from illegally imported meat. It highlighted that the authorities tasked with tackling illegal meat imports do not have the necessary leadership, resources and intelligence to do so effectively.42 We believe …
Government Response Summary
The government has a plan to address illegal imports outlined in its response to the EFRA Committee, has stepped up communications to travellers, is focusing on its relationship with Dover Port Health Authority, and is actively considering increases to funding for Dover Port Health Authority. APHA will publish details of a new methodology to improve estimates of illegal meat imports in early 2026 with data analysis to follow at the end of 2026.
30
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
In September 2025, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate published a Statement of Intent on UK Veterinary Vaccine Availability. This sets out a framework for future cross-sector action to address the mismatch between supply and demand for existing veterinary vaccines and facilitate the pipeline of innovative products to address existing and emerging …
Government Response Summary
VMD's Statement of Intent outlines a strategic framework for cross-sector action. A five-year multi-stakeholder Action Plan will be published late 2026, and mitigations for urgent availability issues are being identified and actioned. Defra worked with manufacturers to expedite emergency use of a Bluetongue 3 vaccine and is supporting the avian influenza vaccine taskforce.