The Royal Navy has been deployed to patrol British ports and livestock terminals as a flesh-eating screwworm outbreak linked to US cattle imports threatens to devastate UK farming. The parasitic larvae, which burrow into the flesh of warm-blooded animals, have been detected in a shipment of American beef cattle arriving at a Scottish abattoir, triggering a national biosecurity alert. For working-class families already grappling with soaring food prices, the crisis adds another layer of uncertainty: if the infestation spreads, supermarket shelves could empty of affordable meat, and rural jobs hang in the balance.
The Navy's mobilisation, a move not seen since the foot-and-mouth crisis of 2001, underscores the gravity of the situation. Ships have been stationed off major ports including Felixstowe, Southampton, and Liverpool, with crews trained to inspect and quarantine suspect vessels. Defra officials are coordinating with the National Farmers' Union to cull any infected herds, but cattle workers fear the compensation scheme may be too slow to save their livelihoods.
'We're already struggling with feed costs and supermarket price squeezes,' said a dairy farmer from Cumbria, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'If the Navy has to come in, it means the system has already failed us.' The screwworm, native to the Americas, can cause fatal infections in livestock and, rarely, in humans.
While not harmful to the public in cooked meat, the psychological toll on communities reliant on farming cannot be overstated. Union leaders are calling for an urgent meeting with the Environment Secretary, demanding full compensation for farmers whose animals are destroyed and guaranteed minimum prices to protect consumers from a price spike. The government insists the risk to human health is low, but for the millions who depend on affordable beef for their family meals, the only certainty is that the cost of living crisis just got a new, flesh-eating dimension.
