Controls at the border to prevent a new disease arriving in the UK via illegal meat imports are insufficient to the level of risk. Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) reported a fifty-five-fold increase in the seizures of illegal meat imports from January 2023 to January 2025. The Department is not clear whether this is due to an increase in actual imports, or better surveillance and enforcement activities. The Department provides DPHA with some funding to complete proactive illegal meat checks, but this only allows DPHA to undertake this work for 20% of the time. Future funding allocations are subject to the Department’s upcoming business planning processes. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has also raised several concerns about the increase in illegal meat imports. recommendation The Department should: a. undertake research to understand the reasons for the apparent increase in illegal meat imports to the UK to inform future policy and funding decisions; and b. when determining the resources made available to DPHA and Border Force at Dover to tackle illegal meat imports, weigh this against the significant costs a major disease outbreak could have if introduced through the port of Dover. c. The Department should set out what more can be done to educate travellers not to bring illegal food products into the UK and that high fines are imposed on those that do.