Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on border controls to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease into the UK from other countries where there are outbreaks; which countries are subject to such border controls at present; and if she will make a statement. [41501]

Mr Paice [holding answer 17 February 2011]: Before a non-European Union (EU) country is approved to export to the EU, the exporting country must have acceptable disease status, the recognised standard for relevant control authorities and guarantees from the country with regard to compliance with EU import rules and results of EU missions to these countries.

All meat imported from non-EU countries must be accompanied by veterinary certification. Imports of products of animal origin (POAO) and live animals are checked at approved facilities at border inspection posts (BIPS).

All consignments of imported meat have a documentary check on the veterinary certification, and an identity check, to match the goods to the certification. A minimum of 20% of consignments of meat imported from non-EU countries undergoes a physical check by an official veterinary surgeon, and this rises to 50% for poultry and game. All consignments of live animals are physically checked. A random, non-discriminatory proportion (3%) of animals entering via a BIP are tested as part of compliance checks.

DEFRA's International Disease Monitoring (IDM) monitors outbreaks of high impact diseases around the world. Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is among those diseases of major concern. When DEFRA becomes aware of a new animal disease outbreak in another country, we carry out an initial rapid risk assessment of the risk of introduction of that disease into the United Kingdom (UK) and may produce a preliminary outbreak assessment. If this preliminary assessment concludes that a full qualitative risk assessment is not justified, then we will publish the preliminary outbreak assessment here:
www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimai/diseases/monitoring/index.htm

There is a continual low risk of introduction of FMD into the UK and the EU from any affected region, including Africa, the Middle East and Central/East Asia, primarily through illegal imports. We currently consider that generally there would be a negligible risk of the introduction of FMD from an affected country through legal imports because of the system of approval and certification laid down in EU law for countries approved for export to the EU.

Since November 2010 to today, South Korea has reported over 140 outbreaks of FMD strain O across the country in a re-emergence of disease. North Korea has similarly recently reported FMD. The disease is considered endemic in several other Asian, African, Middle Eastern and South American countries and there are a few countries which are officially FMD free either with or without vaccination. Closer to home, outbreaks are occurring regularly in North Africa (eg Egypt and Libya) and the Middle East (eg Iran and Iraq) and Turkey has reported over 1,400 outbreaks of FMD in the last 12 months. In January 2011, an incursion in Bulgaria just two kilometres from the Turkish border was reported to the European Commission. This incursion in wild boar and domestic animals has led to special protective measures being put in place by the EC for Bulgaria, in terms of biosecurity, transport and the movement of susceptible animals and POAO.

UK Border Agency (UKBA) is responsible for anti-smuggling checks at the Great Britain border on POAO. The Department for Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland (DARDNI) is responsible for these controls in NI. Personal imports of meat and dairy products (which may carry diseases such as FMD) are banned from outside of the EU.

UKBA frontline staff are employed as multifunctional anti-smuggling staff with a responsibility to tackle a range of risks at the border, including dealing with illegal imports of POAO. Enforcement staff are deployed on a mobile and flexible basis and, at major ports and airports, are supported by the use of detector dogs specifically trained to detect POAO, as well as X-ray technology.

DEFRA and UKBA continue to work together to ensure that UKBA delivers an enforcement strategy that targets the entry routes that pose the greatest threat of introducing animal disease (including FMD) and responds flexibly to changing patterns in risk. DEFRA provides UKBA with a bespoke global risk map that categorises countries into Red, Amber and Green risks according to the prevalence of animal diseases that can be transmitted in products. UKBA use this map to inform their risk-based targeting activities. Countries considered endemic for FMD and other diseases, such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and African Swine Fever, are always on the list, but the list of countries is constantly being updated. UKBA also use historical data on type of products seized, high-risk routings and origin, methods of concealment and risk trends; specific intelligence; results of operational checks; and information from other enforcement agencies.

UKBA also responds to specific disease notifications, such as serious disease outbreaks, for which they can increase controls if necessary. For example, following the recent outbreak of FMD in Bulgaria (part of the EU), we have worked with UKBA to reduce the risk of unregulated products entering the UK from the affected region. This is an exceptional measure as customs powers do not normally apply to intra-EU movements of POAO goods.

The re-emergence of FMD in Asia and the Middle East and the incursion into Bulgaria highlights in particular the importance of farmer awareness in observing good biosecurity and reporting disease promptly, as well as how problematic disease control is, once it has emerged. We will of course continue to monitor the situation and work closely with UKBA to reduce the risk of disease incursion.