DEFRA EU imports ban

Last year (12 April 2025), the UK Government announced a ban on personal imports of meat and dairy products from all EU countries to safeguard the UK food system and farmers against foot and mouth disease. Personal imports of meat and dairy products continue to pose a risk of spreading different animal disease to Great Britain. The EU has reported outbreaks of animal diseases in 2026 (see press releases on Greece and Cyprus). 

For this reason, personal imports of meat, meat products and dairy products of ruminants (such as cows, sheep, goats, deer, camelids) and pigs are prohibited. This includes bringing items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into Great Britain – regardless of whether it is packed or packaged or whether it has been bought at duty free.

There’s still some confusion from travellers on these rules, so DEFRA has created assets and an FAQ document to help inform or remind your members of these rule changes. These are attached. There is also a Gov.uk webpage you can signpost to in your comms (https://www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain) and you can download posters which contain the campaign’s messaging here.

Here are DEFRA’s latest social posts on this topic should you wish to repost these to your channels:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• X (Twitter)