UK visitors to popular European destinations will be blocked from taking favourite food items on holiday under entry rules to contain the spread of coronavirus and prevent new variants. The European Commission states that people arriving into the EU from outside the bloc - which now includes the UK - cannot bring meat, milk or other dairy products with them.
This means it is illegal to take items such as cheese and ham sandwiches from the UK into Spain and other holiday hotspots within the European Union. The European Commission's website states that anyone found to be in possession of these goods "may be liable for costs or penalties."
It outlines: “Personal goods containing meat, milk or their products brought into the EU continue to present a real threat to animal health throughout the Union. It is known, for example, that dangerous pathogens that cause animal diseases, such as Foot and Mouth Disease and classical swine fever can reside in meat, milk or their products.
“Therefore, pathogens could be introduced into the EU if personal goods containing meat, milk or their products are sent by post of carried in the baggage of travellers arriving from countries outside the EU, where such pathogens may be circulating,” the commission adds.
UK citizens are also prohibited from taking any fresh fruit, with the exception of bananas, dates, coconuts and pineapples. In addition, vegetables, plants or plant products are also banned from being carried into the European Union unless the travellers pays to have them inspected, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
However, there are some exemptions, including powdered infant milk, infant food and special foods or special pet feed required for medical reasons. They must weigh less than two kilograms, do not require refrigeration before opening and the packaging must be unbroken, unless in current use. Travellers are also allowed to bring in up to 20 kilograms of fish products, or the weight of one fish if this is higher.
People arriving in from the UK to the EU can bring a string of other animal products - such as honey, mussels and snails, if they weigh two kilograms or more.
“Personal goods containing meat, milk or their products brought into the EU continue to present a real threat to animal health throughout the Union,” the EU statement reads.
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