If you were planning on bringing back some delicious French cheeses or Spanish hams back from your Easter weekend away, this may come as some pretty bad news.
Whether you're travelling by rail, air, or sea, British tourists have now been banned from bringing back an array of food items from the EU and EFTA countries. This is set to affect the hundreds of thousands of travellers going on holiday for the Easter weekend. These restrictions, introduced on April 12, were prompted by a surge in foot-and-mouth disease across Europe. Everything from simple sandwiches to cheese, raw and cured meats, even if bought at Duty Free, are now banned from being brought into the UK with fines of up to £5,000 for serious cases (in England).
The UK government wrote on X (formerly Twitter) today: "Important changes to personal imports. You can no longer bring meat or dairy products from EU or EEA countries into Great Britain for personal use.
"This includes beef, pork, lamb, mutton, venison and goat meat, and all dairy products like cheese, butter or yoghurt. If you're travelling over Easter weekend, check what you can and can't bring back before you go."
Some items are exempt, such as baby formula, medical foods, chocolate, bread, and pasta.
UK Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 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."
This ban comes following confirmed cases found in Slovakia and Hungary last month.
In early January, three water buffalo in Germany also tested positive for the disease.
Full list of the 13 items banned from entering the UK:
