Brits flocking to Europe for the Easter holidays have been left outraged following an urgent government warning. If you’re lucky enough to be jetting off to an EU destination this month, you might be tempted to bring some culinary treats back home.
Holidaymakers in France will inevitably be drawn into the slew of cheesemongers dotted across the country, or be tempted to stock up on their favourite cured meat from Spain. However, doing so could now land you in some pretty hot water.
It comes as the official GOV.UK account took to X (formerly Twitter) to warn of important changes to personal imports. “You can no longer bring meat or dairy products from EU or EEA countries into Great Britain for personal use,” it wrote. “If you’re travelling over Easter weekend, check what you can and can’t bring back before you go.”
The government says the new measures have been brought in to ‘protect farmers from the spread of foot and mouth disease’ but insisted there are currently no cases in the UK. The list of banned foods includes:
In a statement sent to the Mirror, Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said: “This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers from foot & mouth. That is why we are further strengthening protections by introducing restrictions on personal meat and dairy imports to prevent the spread of the disease and protect Britain’s food security.”
On its website, the government says there are also restrictions from bringing fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds into Great Britain from abroad. “If you’re bringing in any food or animal products protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), you may need to apply for a CITES permit,” it added.
If you’re spending a week in sunny Spain, or touring the history-rich cities of France or Italy – you can still bring some food-related gifts back home. These include:
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The warning didn’t go down well with social media users, many of whom branded the ban as ‘ridiculous’. “Isn’t this quite massive? No more bringing back cheese from France?” one user complained.
Another agreed, writing: “I don’t have any plans to travel to the EU currently – but this still upsets me.” A third scathed: “WE CAN’T BRING CHEESE BACK FROM FRANCE?” while a fourth moaned: “Taste (or rather don’t) all that freedom.”
If you declare banned food products to Border Force officers at customs, they’ll take them away and destroy them – but if you fail to declare the prohibited items, you could be prosecuted. According to GOV UK, Border Force can take away (‘seize’) your products if they think:
*The rules for bringing food or animal products are different if you live in Northern Ireland. You can find out more here.
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