Since last Saturday, the British government has banned travellers from the European Union from entering the country with sandwiches, cheese, cured meats such as ham, raw meat or milk, to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease following a growing number of cases across Europe.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has extended this measure in the run-up to Easter, as this decision came into force on Sunday, meaning that travellers will not be allowed to enter the country with beef, sheep or pork meat or dairy products for personal consumption, regardless of whether they are packaged or purchased in a duty-free shop, according to a statement.
This means that it is now illegal for travellers from all EU countries entering Great Britain to bring items such as sandwiches, cheese, cold meats, raw meat or milk, although a limited set of exemptions to these rules has been established, as a limited amount of infant milk, medicinal foods and products such as chocolate, sweets, bread, cakes, biscuits and pasta are permitted. In this context, travellers entering the country with these items must hand them over at the border or they will be confiscated and destroyed, in addition to facing fines of up to £5,000 (more than £5,800).
The British government had already banned personal imports of cattle, sheep and other ruminants and pork, as well as dairy products from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria earlier this year in response to confirmed outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in those countries.
However, foot-and-mouth disease does not pose any risk to humans and there are no cases in the United Kingdom, but it is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas and alpacas, and the outbreak in Europe poses a significant risk to agricultural businesses and livestock, according to the British Department.
The British Government justifies this action on the grounds that the disease can cause significant economic losses due to production shortages in affected animals, as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and dairy products. The new restrictions therefore apply only to travellers arriving in Great Britain and will not apply to personal imports from Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.
Agriculture Minister Daniel Zeichner has assured that the British Government ‘will do everything possible to protect British farmers from foot-and-mouth disease. We are further strengthening protections by introducing restrictions on personal imports of meat and dairy products to prevent the spread of the disease and protect Britain’s food security,’ he explained.