Some 3.4 tonnes of illegal meat has been seized by port authorities in Dover - just days before the introduction of new government checks on imported foods.

The largest seizure this year came following a number of inspections on vehicles conducted by the Dover Port Health Authority last Friday and Saturday.

The haul included 54 unmarked sheep carcasses from two vehicles from Romania. Transported without temperature controls and in unhygienic conditions, it had cross-contaminated other food including pig parts, beef and “cheese items dripping with blood”.

It came just ahead of Tuesday’s introduction of the latest phase of the government’s post-Brexit Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).

It aims to physically check 100% of high-risk consignments entering the county - through Dover or Eurotunnel - and up to 30% of medium-risk goods by directing vehicles to the inland border facility in Sevington, near Ashford.

Dover District Council says the seizures are in the wake of increased concerns that African Swine Fever (ASF), which was recently found in Sweden, Italy and Germany could possibly spread to the UK, threatening the UK’s pig herd.

Lucy Manzano, head of port health and public protection at the Dover Port Health Authority, said: “These seizures demonstrate just how vital the work is of the Dover Port Health Authority when it comes to protecting British supply chains and biosecurity.

“Despite our limited resources, our inspection teams are fully committed to fighting off the threat of ASF and other lethal diseases that threaten livestock – seizing over 85 tonnes of illegal meat since the checks were brought in from September 2022.”

The latest seizures follow concerns that recent proposals from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to cut Dover District Council’s funding for African Swine Fever checks by nearly 70% - as well as fears moving commercial food checks for Dover and the Channel Tunnel to Sevington will create an even bigger risk to British biosecurity.

Lucy Manzano added: “Our position remains unchanged on Sevington and the catastrophic funding cuts to the ASF checks at Dover.

“At this crucial time, it is vital Defra and the government consider the serious risks to British biosecurity that the single-site at Sevington creates. In practice, this means that commercial imports of animal products, including high-risk meat and meat products will be able to arrive at Dover from rest-of-world countries and leave the point-of-entry and Port Health Authority at Dover, to enter our food chain without checks.

“This is the only border where food required to be checked will be able to travel freely and uncontrolled, to self-present at a facility 22 miles away.”

Defra insists systems will be in place to ensure imports carrying animal and plant products required to travel to Sevington for physical checks will not be able to by-pass the requirement, but did not elaborate on exactly how that would work.