The British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office or FCDO has just issued new travel advice for Spain.
Besides the strict measures that are already in place to stem the spread of coronavirus, holidaymakers will also have to make sure they abide by the Spain’s food laws now that the UK has left Europe.
“You cannot take meat, milk or products containing them into EU countries,” says the FCDO. “There are some exceptions for certain amounts of powdered infant milk, infant food, or pet food that may be required for medical reasons.”
The problem is that dangerous pathogens that cause diseases such as foot and mouth and swine fever can reside in meat and milk, or products that contain them. These pathogens may be circulating in countries outside the EU, but could be introduced to the European Union via products that are sent by post or carried in visitors’ bags.
The Regulations:
Travellers are not allowed to bring in meat, milk or their products, unless they are coming with less than 10 kilograms of these products from the Faeroe Islands or Greenland.
There is an exemption for powdered infant milk, infant food, and special foods or special pet feed required for medical reasons, if weighing less than 2 kilograms and provided that:
a) such products do not require refrigeration before opening.
b) that they are packaged proprietary brand products for direct sale to the final consumer, and the packaging is unbroken unless in current use.
For fishery products, including fish and certain shellfish such as prawns, lobsters, dead mussels and dead oysters, travellers are allowed to bring in up to 20 kilograms or the weight of one fish if this is higher. However, there is no such weight restriction for travellers coming from the Faeroe Islands or Greenland.
For other animal products, such as honey, live oysters, live mussels and snails for example, travellers are allowed to bring in up to 2 kilograms.
These rules do not apply to animal products transported between the EU Member States, or for animal products coming from Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino or Switzerland.
Measures were put in place in 2001 to prevent illegal products being brought into the EU after the Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic and Customs Officers will be on duty at EU entry points to detect illegal consignments of meat, milk or their products and may use scanners or detectors dogs to screen baggage.
Any illegal products will be seized and destroyed and those responsible will be penalised.