UK bans EU cheese and meat imports to prevent disease spreading

The UK government has brought in a temporary ban on holidaymakers bringing in cheese and meat products from the EU in a bid to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD).

Travellers have not been allowed to bring back items such as cured meat and cheese, including in sandwiches, since Saturday due to the growing outbreak on the continent.

The restrictions apply regardless of whether the goods are packed or packaged, or bought from duty free.

It follows an earlier ban of similar products from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria after rising cases of the cattle disease in those countries.

FMD is a highly infectious virus that causes blisters inside an animal's mouth and under their hooves, and can cause lameness and problems feeding.

It causes no risk to humans and there are currently no cases of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK.

Any products of animal origin, like meat and dairy, could potentially be contaminated with FMD.

There are concerns that if contaminated products enter the UK, even if they are designed for human consumption, there is a chance that they could be consumed by animals - for instance if they are thrown away in a way that could come into contact with foraging wildlife or domestic livestock.

The restrictions apply to people arriving in Great Britain, not Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man.

Products will be seized and destroyed if people try to bring them in, and in "serious cases" people could be fined up to £5,000.

The list of restricted products includes:

People can bring up to 2kg per person of powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food needed for medical reasons.

In 2001, an outbreak of FMD in the UK led to the culling of millions of animals. Although there were only 2,000 confirmed cases, more than six million sheep, cattle and pigs were slaughtered.

This is because each of those cases meant a farm having all of its livestock killed and burned.

The last outbreak of FMD in the UK was in 2007, although this was much smaller with only eight infected premises concentrated in one small area of the country.

Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), said the government had been quick to bring in the initial ban and the NFU was glad it was now being extended.

"While the FMD source remains unidentified in parts of Europe, stricter border controls are essential," he said.

"It's imperative we have a comprehensive cross-government biosecurity plan with the necessary investment behind it, and which would place these restrictions on a permanent legislative footing."

The Guild of Fine Food, which represents independent food and drink retailers, said the ban on "holiday treats" had been "hurried", but added it brought UK government policy for holidaymakers more in line with restrictions already placed on small businesses.

"The food and drink industry absolutely supports the fact that we must protect our farmers and that biosecurity is paramount," said John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food.

However, he said that "bureaucracy" brought in after Brexit had added "significant constraints" for small food and drink importers and exporters.

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