The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is taking immediate measures to protect against African swine fever (ASF) by imposing new safeguarding rules. These measures include a ban on personal imports of pork and pork products from the European Economic Area (EEA), the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Switzerland, with a few exceptions. The penalty for illegal imports could reach £5,000 and the products will be destroyed. These steps are crucial as ASF poses a significant threat to UK livestock and could cost the country between £10 million to £100 million in the event of an outbreak. Despite these efforts and the lack of ASF outbreaks in the UK to date, illegal imports of pork meat have been detected, and £3.1 million has been allocated to Dover Port Health Authority for the 2024/25 season to combat illegal meat imports.