UK health heads have secretly admitted that the shortage of border inspection operations in the wake of Britain’s exit from the European Union The investigation found that British consumers were exposed to sick meat.
The investigative press office previously revealed a host from Defenders in dealing with the government It is a drug -resistant aluminella outbreak, especially those associated with supermarkets from Poland. The diseases associated with fascist-which also affected the eggs-reached their peaks at different points between 2020 and 2024, while It has been delayed over and over again.
A group of documents that TBIG now saw is revealing that in a series of high -level meetings in late 2023, heads of food and health safety admitted that the UK border could have allowed meat affected by entering the country without deterrent.
Minutes of meetings attended by the United Kingdom health The Security Agency (UKHSA), the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and its partners transferred that there are no “current current controls”, and that paper works and material checks on imported goods did not start until the following year.
“This can change,” officials note. “but, [the] FSA decided that they could not wait for the border controls to come as a controller. “
“We have not made any checks on the imports of the European Union in our three -year border monitoring publications,” Helen Buckingham, a commercial policy expert, told TBIJ. She pointed to a recent report published by the National Bureau of Auditing, which was strongly criticizing border control elements in the United Kingdom after Britain left the European Union. She added: “A delay in presenting a new system of checks received for the commodities of the European Union [were seen as being] Risks for the United Kingdom in general health and animals, because our borders were weak. “
Salmonella is bacteria found in poultry courage and other livestock. It is one of the most common causes of food poisoning and often spreads through eating or communicating with non -cooked meat, poultry and eggs. Salmonella poisoning can be life threatening, especially in infants and the elderly. Diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and high temperature.
There have been increasing concerns about UK consumers’ exposure to public health risks in recent years. Last year, hospital acceptance of Salmonella infection arrived Ever. The rates of E Coli, Campylobacter have reached and other diseases that are transmitted by food, and have reached record levels in the past two years and led to a height in the hospital.
In the European Union, the authorities issued an alert in 2023 linking more than 330 cases of human salmonella to the affected poultry that affected a number of member states. Among the manufacturers of patients are children and young, with the identification of victims in Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Austria, where one person died. Several contaminated food samples arose from Poland.
In 2023, the UK authorities became very anxious about the human effects of continuous salmonella cases associated with Polish poultry products written by FSA and the largest veterinarians in the UK for the Polish veterinarian in 2023, calling for more procedures for many deaths related to polluted products.
Buckingham said that the inspections after Britain’s exit from the European Union were represented last year as a tougher system than it was previously. “Before Britain left the European Union, we did not verify the products of the European Union of animal […] The principle of “free trading of goods” applied between member states. “
But although checks related to some meat and poultry imports in the United Kingdom – usually range from 1 % and 30 % – are now implemented, fears have arisen that the financing discounts to inspection employees in some ports may mean large quantities of upcoming low low meat To the United Kingdom, as stated in the grocery.
“Food flows depend on confidence. This depends on the belief that the systems are present to protect us from the known harm. Five years after Britain’s exit from the European Union, we see no less, But the problems are continuing.
Polish chicken was a special concern, and TBIG reports were highlighted. European Union data show that in 2024, tests revealed that at least 138 shipments of Poland poultry contain salmonella, including variables that could be very harmful to human health. The United Kingdom was among the affected countries. The numbers decreased only a little from 2023, when there were 149 registered cases of contaminated products.
Ukhsa internal records reveal that the ban on Polish poultry products was among the measures that FSA considered, but there were concerns about its potential impact on the meat industry. No ban was carried out later.
Although the FSA interventions led to a decrease in the reported cases, the prices are still “out of the tolerance that the FSA board of directors can be accepted by Salmonella that enters the UK from the European Union,” according to the documents.
The officials were also concerned that the pollution of Salmonella had become more prevalent, as it included many producers from Poland and a larger number of food products, as the documents appear. While attention was initially focused on mixed chicken and other products that are very processed, the test revealed that fresh chicken and raw pet food were also involved.
Angeli Unyiga, director of British and international affairs at FSA, said that she is working with the Polish authorities on measures to enhance the safety and compliance of imported poultry and eggs. These include increasing tests and other farm and factory interventions.
“We are still watching the situation actively, including through the country’s scrutations for the safety controls and poultry producers who are exporting to the United Kingdom. If we see any concern information, we will take the necessary measure.” She added that FSA welcomed the reinforced border checks that were implemented last year, which became a “decisive part of our food safety system” that she said helped support high standards in the United Kingdom.
The disclosure of TBIG comes at a time when the Parliament, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is preparing to launch an animal and plant health investigation next Tuesday. Imported animal products will be the main axis of the initial evidence collection session that will evaluate the effectiveness of import controls for food and public health.
The British Poultry Council previously called for the examination of each Polish poultry shipment on the UK border. “We expect our commercial partners to fulfill their responsibilities regarding safe food. If they cannot, their powers are not able to implement appropriate controls, so we will want our organizers to have powers and resources to stop the income of insecure meat into Country.
“This government will never hesitate to support biological security in the UK and maintain our food supplies,” said a DEFRA spokesman.
The Polish veterinary inspector told TBIJ that the poultry safety alerts from Poland have decreased from 2020 to 2024, indicating that they were taking appropriate and effective measures. He said that a comprehensive investigation was conducted when the Salmonella case was discovered, and in this event, you will withdraw the food concerned, as well as take measures to reduce repetition. She said that antibiotics were used on farm animals only when prescribed by a veterinarian.
“How important the government is to support high food standards in international commercial deals, especially for high -risk foods such as Polish chicken.”
“They must also ensure that there are enough veterinarians and food hygiene inspectors to verify that British meat and import are appropriate to eat – health protection roles that were in a worrying decrease for several years.”
