LONDON — After the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Germany, the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) encouraged UK borders to begin implementing biosecurity checks.

The recent ASF discovery reached a new region of Germany, Lower Saxony, which is roughly 300 km away from the French border. The United Kingdom is not currently infected with ASF.

“We are calling on the government to make travelers more aware of the risks of bringing prohibited food items into the UK and to encourage them to dispose of those products responsibly before entry,” said Nick Allen, chief executive officer of BMPA. “We would also like to see spot checks introduced as a further measure to improve biosecurity.”

The UK government has shelved all border checks until further notice. Inbound UK visitors are not allowed to bring in food items post-Brexit, but BMPA said the rule is currently waived with little signage at entries to inform people of the rule.