Import future '˜impossible' to predict, says port

That is the message from Portsmouth International Port after concerns were raised about the future of meat imported from the EU.

The news comes after rumours that checks on meat could come to a halt if an agreement could not be made before the end of the Brexit negotiations.

Currently, checks on incoming meat cargo are only done on imports from non-EU member states.

But Portsmouth International Port says it is not too concerned by this.

A spokeswoman for Portsmouth International Port said: ‘Negotiations are still going on so we cannot make any accurate assessment of what is going to happen.

‘In terms of meat coming through the port, EU regulations mean we don’t have to check the cargo, so we don’t know how much is coming through. For now, it is impossible to tell what things will look like after Brexit.’