14 July 2025, 11:56
British delis and restaurants are struggling to provide unpasteurised cheeses following an import ban.
Picture:
Alamy
British delis and restaurants are close to running out of cheeses such as mozzarella, brie, and goat’s cheese, after a ban was imposed on unpasteurised cheeses being imported from France and Italy.
The temporary ban was introduced on cheeses made after May 23, following an outbreak of lumpy skin disease among cattle in the two countries.
Suppliers can still import unpasteurised cheeses made before May 23 and pasteurised cheeses, however, this requires paperwork on the production processes.
It has been reported that border officials are unable or unwilling to read the documents in French and Italian, which means lorries full of cheese are being held until documents are provided in English.
“Every week our lorries are getting delayed. Even though they’re chilled, it’s not in the right environment and things come in and have to be binned,” Patricia Michelson, the founder of La Fromagerie, a retailer and distributor of fine continental cheeses, told the Times.
“We can’t charge the producer, it’s not their fault, they sent it all in perfect condition, it’s what happens when it’s stuck at the port.
“At the moment, we can’t supply all the lovely, soft cow’s milk cheeses like Camembert and brie. If people think that they can get what they want now, they won’t, because everywhere will be slowly running out of stock.
“From Monday we will only be able to offer an English brie-style cheese.”