Illegal meat seized at Dover in ‘unprecedented volumes’

Vast quantities of illegally imported meat are being seized at Dover port, amid fears this could be just the “tip of the iceberg”.

The revelation comes against the backdrop of repeated delays in introducing official import controls on EU products of animal origin (POAO), with checks at ports not due to start until 30 April 2024.

Despite “limited resource”, some 5.5t of illegal meat was seized over the weekend before Christmas.