British tourists have been banned from bringing meat and dairy products back from Europe in a blow to travellers getting away for Easter.
Under new rules, travellers returning to the UK will not be able to carry beef, pork, lamb, mutton, venison, goat meat or dairy products.
It means tourists travelling to the continent for the long Easter weekend will no longer be able to bring back small amounts of cheese and meat – such as a wedge of French brie or a German sausage – to give as gifts or to enjoy upon returning.
“If you’re travelling over Easter weekend, check what you can and can’t bring back before you go,” the government warned.
A post on X, formerly Twitter, from the government’s official account sought to play down the impact of Brexit on the changes, stressing that the measures “are to protect farmers from the spread of foot and mouth disease” amid rising cases on the continent. There are currently no cases in the UK.
Farming minister Daniel Zeichner said: “This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers from foot and 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.”
Hundreds of thousands of British tourists are planning to flock to the continent over the Easter weekend, and the Port of Dover alone said it expects to process around 5,500 cars embarking on outbound ferry sailings between 6am and 1pm on Good Friday. Meanwhile, aviation analytics company Cirium said 11,282 flights are scheduled to depart from UK airports between Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Under the rules, the government has warned travellers that declared goods will be seized and “destroyed” by Border Force officers at customs.
Travellers discovered with undeclared meat or cheese face potential prosecution or fines of up to £5,000.
The rule change is the latest post-Brexit headache to hit travellers between Britain and the EU, and comes after the casualty of the famous booze cruise – a tradition of British households hopping on ferries to stock up on cheap French wine.
Restrictions since Britain left the EU mean travellers can no longer return to the UK with as much wine as they like. They now have a limit of 18 litres or 24 bottles of wine per person; for beer, the limit is 42 litres.
Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden told The Independent: “The January reports of foot-and-mouth cases in Germany brought back chilling memories of 2001. Following those cases, I questioned the farming minister about whether the government would accelerate negotiations for a veterinary agreement with the EU.
“While he assured me no extra impetus was needed, three months on, we still lack any substantial agreement, and the government is now banning the personal imports of meat and dairy products from the EU.
“Let’s be clear: this is a blunt move which won’t help to secure our long-term biosecurity. While no one wants to see foot-and-mouth on our shores again, the government must realise that these bans are not the solution. We urgently need a veterinary agreement with the EU, not just to boost biosecurity, but to slash the red tape our farmers and fishers deal with every time they want to export to our biggest trading partner.”
