UK bound produce destroyed if immigrants found

This week the UK press has been reporting on truck loads of fresh produce being destroyed if illegal immigrants are found in them, they are even talking of a possible shortage of supply.

Peter Davis of Davis Produce, a UK importer of fresh produce told FreshPlaza that this was indeed a huge problem, "This is already happening and it is a major problem because if they find just one immigrant it will be destroyed, there have been instances when produce could be re-packed but now the instruction is to dump everything."

"It is a simple health and safety issue, in some cases up to eight people have been living in the trucks, sometimes for a few days, so you can imagine the mess inside. We have had so many lorries delayed over the last few weeks for spot checks by border control. It is becoming such a problem there are hundreds of immigrants just waiting in Calais to come across."

The Euro Tunnel is spending millions trying to secure the French side and stop immigrants gaining access to the trucks. Last week a group of immigrants stormed the defences to gain access to the trucks heading for the UK.

Companies have now to insure themselves against this loss as it is not covered by the Goods in Transit insurance.

Click here to view a video from the Daily Mail of migrants sneaking into a lorry in Calais.

Home Secretary Theresa May has agreed to an urgent meeting with the ‘increasingly worried’ food industry to try to find ways of better protecting imported food from stowaways.

Last month it emerged that a record 3,000 immigrants a month were caught trying to sneak into the UK illegally, including 420 who were refused entry more than once.