Illegal meat smuggling raises alarms over livestock disease threat to UK and Ireland

The UK government is under pressure to stop illegal meat being smuggled in, amid warnings of a disease crisis for British farmers

The meat was smuggled into Northern Ireland on the Stranraer to Larne ferry on January 16, before port staff seized it. File picture.

Fears of serious livestock diseases were heightened by the recent revelation that 600kg of illegal meat entered the UK from mainland Europe, and passed through England and Scotland, before being detected at Larne, near Belfast, by Northern Ireland's port authorities.

The meat was smuggled into Northern Ireland on the Stranraer to Larne ferry on January 16, but port staff seized it, because it was judged to be non-compliant with sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.