Bad news for local foodies travelling back to Jersey – brie, Boursin and Bavarian ham will now have to stay on the other side of the Channel after the first major import ban on meat and cheese in nearly two decades.
From today, islanders are no longer allowed to bring meat and dairy products back from France and the wider EU, as Jersey tightens its defences against foot and mouth disease.
The new measures cover the importation of personal imports of ‘products of animal origin’ from the European Union.
Travellers will not be permitted to bring meat or dairy products from EU single market area – which also covers the the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Switzerland – for personal use.
What’s the reason for the ban?
In bringing in the temporary ban – which does not yet have an end date – Jersey is following the UK and other Crown Dependencies following an increase in confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease across parts of Europe, including Germany, Slovakia and Hungary.
Earlier this year, Jersey had already introduced specific bans on personal imports of meat and dairy products from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria following confirmed outbreaks. The latest measures now extend this safeguard to all EU countries.
How serious is the risk?
The Government stressed that while foot and mouth disease poses no threat to human health, it is a highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals. It added that the current spread of the disease across parts of Europe presented “a serious risk” to Jersey’s agriculture sector.
“An outbreak could result in severe economic losses through reduced productivity in affected animals, disruption to trade and potential bans on export of livestock and animal products,” it said.
What exactly is banned and what’s allowed?
The last ban on meat and dairy products in Jersey was in 2007 when there were cases of foot and mouth in the UK. The current prohibition does not include importations from the UK, nor does it include commercial shipments.
Banned items, regardless of whether they are fresh, cured, raw, packed, or purchased from duty -free, are:
Meat products from cattle, pigs, sheep or goats
Dairy products including cheese, milk, and yogurt
Items containing these products, such as meat or cheese sandwiches, cured meats, sausages and milk-based desserts
The following remain permitted for personal import:
Bread (excluding sandwiches filled with meat or dairy)
Cakes (as long as they do not contain fresh cream)
Biscuits, chocolate, and confectionery (excluding those with large amounts of unprocessed dairy)
Pasta and noodles (not mixed with or filled with meat)
Packaged soups, stocks, and flavourings
Processed and packaged plant products, including packaged salads and frozen vegetables
Food supplements containing small amounts of animal product (e.g. fish oil capsules)
Up to 2kg per person of powdered infant milk, baby food, or special dietary food required for medical reasons
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