UK bans passengers from EU from carrying meat and dairy produce in bid to prevent spread of foot-and-mouth disease

The United Kingdom's prohibited items list includes sandwiches, cheese, cured meats such as ham, raw meats or milk regardless of whether they are packaged or bought in a duty-free shop

Europa Press

Malaga

Thursday, 17 April 2025, 11:14

The UK government has banned passengers from the European Union from travelling with sandwiches, cheese, cured meats such as ham, raw meats or milk from entering the country since last Saturday 12 April to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease following the increasing number of cases across the continent.

In particular, the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has extended this measure in the run-up to Easter, as the decision came into force last Sunday. Travellers will not be able to enter the country with beef, sheep or pigmeat or dairy products for personal consumption, regardless of whether they are packaged or bought in a duty-free shop, according to a statement.

It is therefore immediately illegal for travellers from all EU countries entering the UK to carry these items, although a limited set of exemptions to these rules have been put in place. A limited amount of baby milk, medicinal foods and products such as chocolate, sweets, bread, cakes, biscuits and pasta are allowed.

In this context, travellers entering the country with these items must hand them in at the border or they will be confiscated and destroyed, and face fines of up to 5,000 pounds (more than 5,800 euros).

The UK government had already banned personal imports of cattle, sheep, pigmeat and dairy products from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria earlier this year in response to confirmed outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in those countries.

Highly contagious among livestock

However, foot-and-mouth disease poses no risk to humans and there are no cases in the UK, but it is a highly contagious viral disease among cattle, sheep, pigs, wild boar, deer, llamas and alpacas. As such, the outbreak in Europe presents a significant risk to farming businesses and livestock, according to the UK government.

The government states 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 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 said that the UK government "will do all it can to protect British farmers from foot-and-mouth disease," and went on to say, "We are further strengthening protection by introducing restrictions on personal imports of meat and dairy products to prevent the spread of the disease and protect Britain's food security."

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