The committee said the full scale of the problem is unknown, calling it 'unacceptable' that no clear data exists on the quantities or destinations of illegal imports. During a visit to Dover earlier this year, MPs saw meat hidden in plastic bags, cardboard boxes and even a defrosted chest freezer. Defra’s plan to crush vehicles carrying illegal imports is dismissed as 'not a silver bullet'. Committee chair Alistair Carmichael MP warned that Britain is 'sleepwalking through its biggest food safety crisis since the horse meat scandal'. Carmichael pointed to the recent foot and mouth outbreak in Germany, thought to have been sparked by illegal meat imports, which cost the economy €1 billion.