Individuals arriving in Britain from the EU and different European international locations are now not allowed to herald a spread of meat and dairy merchandise – together with cheese.
It’s a part of a transfer by the UK authorities to attempt to cease the unfold of foot-and-mouth illness from overseas.
The brand new guidelines, launched on Saturday 12 April, imply travellers face restrictions on meat from pigs, cows, sheep and goats, in addition to dairy gadgets resembling milk, butter, cheese and yoghurt.
Additionally they embrace gadgets like sandwiches stuffed with meat or dairy merchandise, together with cured meats and uncooked meats – no matter whether or not they’re packed or packaged or whether or not they have been purchased at duty-free.
The restrictions apply solely to travellers arriving in Britain, and won’t be imposed on private imports from Northern Eire, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man.
There are at the moment no reported instances of foot-and-mouth illness (FMD) within the UK, with the final outbreak in 2007, however there have been confirmed instances this 12 months in Germany in January, and in Hungary and Slovakia final month.
The UK authorities had already banned “personal imports of cattle, sheep and other ruminants and pig meat as well as dairy products” from these three international locations “in response to confirmed outbreaks of FMD”.
The checklist of banned gadgets has now been prolonged to such merchandise from the entire of the EU in addition to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Right here’s the whole lot it’s essential know concerning the restrictions.
The federal government says you’ll be able to’t convey the next merchandise again from the international locations listed above:
• Pork
• Beef
• Lamb
• Mutton
• Goat
• Venison
• Different merchandise produced from these meats, resembling sausages
• Milk and dairy merchandise like butter, cheese and yoghurt
The federal government has stated you’ll be able to herald as much as 2kg per particular person of powdered toddler milk, toddler meals, or particular meals wanted for medical causes, however provided that it doesn’t have to be refrigerated earlier than use, and is in branded, unopened packaging – until it’s in present use.
There are additionally pet meals restrictions:
The federal government says you can’t herald pig, cow, sheep, goat and deer merchandise that aren’t for human consumption, like merchandise made with pig meat.
You may herald as much as 2kg per particular person of particular pet meals wanted for medical causes, so long as it doesn’t have to be refrigerated earlier than use, and is in branded, unopened packaging.
In case you are bringing in another permitted animal merchandise, resembling pet meals made with rooster meat, they should be both commercially packaged with the producer’s identify and tackle or have an animal by-product business doc.
Focaccia sandwiches with prosciutto. Pic: iStock
What can folks proceed to herald?
• Fish
• Poultry, resembling rooster, duck, goose and another merchandise produced from these meats
• Different animal merchandise like eggs and honey
And from the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein folks can convey within the following as effectively:
• Fruit
• Greens
• Nuts and seeds
What occurs if you happen to break the principles?
Banned meals merchandise will likely be taken away and destroyed if you happen to declare them to Border Power officers at customs.
The federal government warns that you would be prosecuted if you don’t declare banned meals merchandise.
Border Power can take away your merchandise in the event that they assume you’ve introduced one thing into the nation illegally or introduced in an excessive amount of of a restricted product.
They’ll additionally throw away any gadgets, together with clothes or baggage, which they imagine has been contaminated by the product – for instance with blood from meat.
Authorities carry disinfectant liquid close to a farm throughout an outbreak of foot-and-mouth illness in Dunakiliti, Hungary. Pic: Reuters
What’s foot-and-mouth illness and what has been taking place in different international locations?
The newest restrictions are to “protect the health of British livestock, the security of farmers, and the UK’s food security”, stated the Division for Atmosphere, Meals and Rural Affairs.
Foot-and-mouth is a viral illness which causes fever and mouth blisters in cloven-hoofed ruminants resembling cattle, swine, sheep and goats.
It poses no danger to people, however outbreaks usually result in commerce restrictions resembling those in place now.
In 2001, the illness led to the culling of thousands and thousands of animals within the UK and the lack of billions of kilos, prompting a disaster in British farming.
There have been 2,000 instances, however every case meant a farm having to kill and burn all its livestock, with greater than six million sheep, cattle and pigs slaughtered.
The primary outbreak in Germany for 36 years occurred in January, resulting in the precautionary slaughter of 55 goats, sheep and cattle on a farm in Brandenburg.
Studies of foot-and-mouth emerged in Hungary in mid-March, with greater than 3,500 cattle slaughtered within the nation’s northern county of Gyor-Moson-Sopron.
After the outbreak in Hungary, instances had been then reported throughout 5 farms in southern Slovakia, prompting the nation to declare an emergency.
On 2 April, Hungary deployed troopers and launched new disinfection measures within the northwest shut to frame areas to include the outbreak.
Austria then closed 21 crossings into Hungary and two into Slovakia a day later.
