Imports of banned German animal products continue for days in UK, February 2025

February 4 United Kingdom: German imports of meat and dairy products entered the UK despite a ban due to the FMD outbreak in Germany. The products were reported to continue to enter the country for six days after the ban was instituted through an auto-clear provision in the timed-out decision contingency feature (TODCOF). The TODCOF system was designed to reduce delays at ports by allowing shipments marked as low-risk by the shipper to avoid inspection by auto-clearing the system two hours prior to arrival. Additionally, goods entering the country at the Port of Dover do not undergo physical inspection at Dover; instead, the goods are transported by truck to Sevington, an inland facility 22 miles away. Critics of this system claim that many trucks bypass the inland inspection facility, avoiding physical examination of goods and allowing illegally import meat to become commonplace in local stores. This outsourcing of border control checks away from Dover has impacted the Dover Port Authority’s funding, reducing it and restricting their inspections to spot inspections, which may have to cease in a few months if their funding is further reduced. Port authorities reported German whey products being found at some inland security points, having bypassed the ports through the auto-clear system.