Cow urine products from India seized in Britain

IANS

London, 17 Aug 2012: Herbal remedies and massage oils containing cow urine, poisonous plants, goat meat and ground tiger claws that were smuggled from India have been seized by border officials in Britain.

 

A total of 45 boxes containing the products were bound for Birmingham, when they were stopped at Felixstowe Port in Suffolk, the Daily Mail reported.

 

The substances were found in ingredients of the 450 ml herbal remedy and five-litre massage oil bottles.

 

Several cockroaches that had fermented in the boxes were also found.

 

Import-export of tiger derivatives is strictly controlled under the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Items can only be brought into or sent out of the European Union if the correct permits have been applied for and issued.

 

Details of the seizure have been referred to customs authorities in India, which will decide whether to take further action against the exporter, the daily said.

 

"We are on the look-out for endangered species and products of animal origin. Unregulated imports can harm the survival of rare species as well as potentially bringing diseases into Britain," said Lance Cruse, from the Border Force at Felixstowe.

 

"It is likely that the ground tiger claws would have come from tigers that were illegally poached," he said.