Brits are no longer allowed to take jamon and a variety of other products home under new travel rules.
The UK government has brought in the measure to protect its livestock from foot and mouth disease (FMD).
FMD is an infectious disease that proves fatal among cloven-hoofed species, including cows, and it is seeing a spike across Europe.
As a ‘protective’ measure, the UK is prohibiting any traveller from the EU from bringing ham or cheese into the country, no matter how it was packaged or where it was purchased.
The ban was introduced on April 12 and will remain in place until further notice.
The ban covers any type of meat product from cow or veal, sheep, goat, and pork, as well as any dairy product from EU countries for personal consumption.
It also includes sandwiches containing any meat or dairy product, regardless of whether they are packaged or even if they were purchased at airport duty-free shops.
The British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement: ‘While foot-and-mouth disease poses no risk to humans and no cases have been reported in the United Kingdom, it is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cattle, sheep, pigs, and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas, and alpacas.’
It said the surge in cases in Europe poses a ‘significant risk’ to British livestock and threatens ‘significant economic losses’ if an outbreak of the disease were to happen in the UK.
The ban has been extended to the entire EU, and was already in place for Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria, in response to foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in these countries.
