THE National Farmers' Union (NFU) has welcomed the deployment of two Bromley-trained sniffer dogs to Heathrow Airport.
The two Labradors, which were trained at the Metropolitan Police's Dog Training Centre, in Layhams Grove, Keston, will be used in a scheme to crackdown on illegal imports of infected meat and plant products.
The NFU has been calling for sniffer dogs to be installed at ports of entry into the UK since the devastating foot-and-mouth epidemic last year.
The dogs will be the first line of defence in detecting illegal imports, in commercial consignments of goods and in personal baggage.
NFU spokesman Shaun Leavey said: "The dogs should not only prove to be a deterrent but a positive step in the fight against illegal imports."
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