Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Magazine Subscriptions
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. February 2023
      2. National Arable & Grassland Awards Supplement
      3. January 2023
      4. December 2022
      Featured

      National Arable & Grassland Awards 2023 Supplement

      By adminJanuary 26, 2023
      Recent

      National Arable & Grassland Awards 2023 Supplement

      January 26, 2023

      February 2023 Issue

      January 25, 2023

      January 2023 Issue

      January 4, 2023
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Markets & Policy

    Meat import controls must be improved, says NFU Scotland

    Vicky LewisBy Vicky LewisJanuary 13, 20233 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Jamie Wyllie

    Delays to the UK government’s strategy for ensuring robust border checks on meat products entering the UK has been criticised for failing to ensure the health and safety of produce and putting the industry at risk.

    Jamie Wyllie, East Lothian pig producer and chair of NFU Scotland’s Pigs Committee, said that following Brexit, secure systems for border control staff and infrastructure to check and monitor meat and other products entering the country have failed to surface. Commitments for a system to be in place have been given, but deadlines for start dates have been repeatedly pushed back with the new re-written legislation giving a date of January 2024 – a significant delay from the initial January 2021 date given.

    UK farmers and producers are being exposed to increased risk due to the ongoing issues and the longer this continues, the ‘greater the distortion of the market’ for UK producers, said Mr Wyllie. One of the biggest risks to the UK is the potential for leaving the industry unprotected against livestock diseases, such as African Swine Flu (ASF). ASF is not currently active in the UK, but the disease can stay active in frozen, cooked or raw meat for over a year. The only way it can enter UK markets is through imported meat that has been infected which highlights how vital it is that border controls are brought in.

    Jamie Wyllie, Chair of NFU Scotland’s Pigs Committee. 
    COPYRIGHT Ian R Fleming

    Effective system required

    Mr Wyllie continued to emphasise that although a system of checking imported meats is desperately needed, it is vital that the system that comes into play is effective and efficient. Reassurances are required that due diligence will be given to creating a system that is not just being launched to meet a deadline, but will actually be effective in deterring illegal meat importing and ensuring safety for the industry.

    Mr Wyllie said that the need is two-fold: the first part being a normal customs check on any product coming into the country to authenticate its product type; the second being specific to meat – ensuring health certificates are in place to ensure the meat can be tracked to its origin and has not come from high-risk countries or regions. This secondary layer of protection would include certification from a vet from the country of origin to confirm health and safety protocols have been followed. The Pigs Committee suggest that this action would add around 6% to the cost of import or export.

    “The reality is that we are not part of the EU anymore and therefore have no control over disease mitigation measures that the EU does,” said Mr Wyllie. “The EU does have a very sophisticated system for disease monitoring, checking and sharing which helps EU countries to mitigate risk, but we no longer have access to this system. The EU makes us do these verification and health checks so they obviously think it’s important for their member countries’ health.”

    It is clear that it is essential for the correct border checks to begin in January 2024 and not be allowed to defer any later. The industry must be protected by the government, and Westminster must show that farmers’ needs are a high priority.

    To read Jamie Wyllie’s NFU Scotland blog, please visit: www.nfus.org.uk

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleHaith completes project for Greenvale
    Next Article Resilience to be the focus for PGRO and Syngenta at January roadshows
    Vicky Lewis

    Read Similar Stories

    Environment Secretary announces accelerated roll-out of SFI

    January 26, 2023

    Slurry-producing businesses urged to plan ahead as grant deadline looms

    January 13, 2023

    New biosecurity strategy to protect food security, trade and plant health

    January 10, 2023
    Most Read Stories

    Stihl launches new saw chain to boost cutting performance

    January 26, 2023

    Brownfield owners encouraged to generate energy and income

    January 26, 2023

    Environment Secretary announces accelerated roll-out of SFI

    January 26, 2023
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2023 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_191 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo