Tourists returning home from the European Union with souvenirs will have to be extra careful when they next fly as rules for what you can bring back have changed.
UK tourists face £5,000 fines for bringing back cheese from France
UK tourists face £5,000 fines for bringing back cheese from France under a rule change. Tourists returning home from the European Union with souvenirs will have to be extra careful when they next fly as rules for what you can bring back have changed.
Travellers will no longer be able to bring cattle, sheep, goat, and pig meat, as well as dairy products, from EU countries into Great Britain for personal use, to protect the health of British livestock, the security of farmers, and the UK’s food security.
This includes bringing items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into Great Britain – regardless of whether it is packed or packaged or whether it has been bought at duty free.
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NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “This is a welcome move by government and something we believe should have been introduced a long time ago to help protect the country against the introduction of ASF.
“The rules, as they stood, represented a partial ban, which was difficult for travellers to understand and for the authorities to enforce. This should remove the ambiguity and add a further layer of protection to our border controls.
“However, we continue to stress that those on the frontline of implementing our border controls must be properly resourced to ensure they can do so effectively. We note that the guidance suggests the measures are temporary, but we will be pushing for this to remain as a permanent EU-wide ban on personal imports.”
NFU president Tom Bradshaw added: “The government was quick to ban personal imports of related animal products from affected countries, and, with the increase in cases, we’re glad to see the government taking action to extend this ban to all EU ruminant and porcine meat and dairy products.
“While the FMD source remains unidentified in parts of Europe, stricter border controls are essential. The government must now ensure passengers are aware of the new rules and that those fighting illegal meat imports, including the Border Force, have the resources they need to stamp out this practice.”
“In an ever more uncertain world, it’s imperative we have a comprehensive cross-government biosecurity plan with the necessary investment behind it and which would place these restrictions on a permanent legislative footing,” Mr Bradshaw concluded.