By Isle of Wight Observer
All of us have some insider knowledge on certain subjects, and when they’re discussed, errors and omissions jar.
Before we get to one of my specialist subjects, did you see that the ONS predicts that, between now and 2036, the UK population will grow by around 10 per cent? That’s over 6 million new people coming here, all of whom need somewhere to live. Where do you think that leaves your children or grandchildren and those already struggling to afford a home? When did you last hear the Tories discuss these numbers, or ask how you feel about it? BBC radio’s flagship morning news programme, Today, picks and chooses what it reports, and migration is rarely of interest. Expressing concern just isn’t cricket.
Now on to my specialist subject. I’ve just heard Dover Port health official, Lucy Manzano, on Radio 4, bleating about the lack of port checks on lorries. She claimed to be horrified because foreign juggernauts, potentially laden with dodgy food, will soon need to drive 22 miles inland to have their contents inspected. According to her, there’s nothing to stop these lorries from vanishing, instead of showing up where they’re supposed to for examination. At first glance, food smuggling sounds problematic, but it really isn’t. To my ears, the BBC message seemed clear: “Brexit has done this, and now all you Brexiteers could be poisoned by contaminated meat!”
The Dover port health authority says that, since September 22, it has prevented 57 tonnes of illegal meat from entering the UK. As trucks carry up to 25 tonnes, perhaps just two full loads were discovered – in over 18 months! The meat they found may just have had the wrong paperwork, or surely, they would say it was dangerous or life-threatening.
Island supermarkets are stocked by regular deliveries from regional distribution centres. The lorries are loaded, and a seal affixed.
The seals are tamperproof and numbered. On arrival at the store, the manager checks the seal is intact and, if it is, can be certain that no-one has interfered with the load. These days most HGV’s are sealed like this. The temperature of the load is also monitored. Satellite tracking makes the despatch office instantly aware of any en-route delays or deviations.
For decades I worked in the air cargo industry, where, every day, freight is moved from within the secure airport perimeter to external bonded warehouses – pretty much on trust. Before anything enters the UK, a customs entry is required, and occasionally, customs officials physically check the goods. Intelligence, a ‘coppers nose’, and computer programmes help select specific goods for inspection.
The trigger for an inspection could be that the goods are from an unknown shipper or are products arousing suspicion. For example, anything pungent from South America is certain to be checked – because the smell may conceal drugs.
Of the many millions of tons of stuff that enters our country every week, only a miniscule amount is physically checked. If they examined everything, the ports would quickly grind to a halt! The handful of lorries selected at Dover for meat inspection already have seals in place and, if it wanted to, the port health authority could affix its own – which could easily be checked 22 miles inland. The TIR (Transport International Routier) system for lorries has existed for decades, which allows trucks to cross multiple borders without a customs inspection at every frontier – including Dover.
There’s really no story here; the Dover port health authority, and the woke BBC, obviously know that. Catching wrong-uns is no more challenging now than it ever was.
Perhaps the Beeb should focus on how we’re going to house another 6 million people. They might even ask the Border Force why it has scrapped all its channel patrol boats!