Chorizo and cheese off menu for returning British holidaymakers
Tourists have been banned from bringing cured meats and cheeses from Europe back to Britain as cases of foot-and-mouth disease rise on the Continent.
The Government has enacted a clampdown on so-called 'personal imports' of meat, dairy and other products from Europe after a surge in cases of the disease among livestock.
Travellers hoping to bring back delicacies such as Spanish chorizo or Italian pecorino and gorgonzola cheeses now risk having their goods seized and destroyed. Some could face fines of up to £5,000 if they are caught trying to bring them through an airport, the Government said.
Officials do not collect data on the quantities of food and drink brought into the UK through airports every year. However, the UK imports around 2.2m kilos of authentic chorizo commercially each year, suggesting products like this are likely to be popular with tourists.
The ban is indefinite and will go on until ministers deem there is no longer a significant risk to the UK. Daniel Zeichner, the farming minister, said: 'This Government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers from foot-and-mouth.'
Cases of the disease, which affects cows and pigs, were reported in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia earlier this year.
Commercial imports of pigs, cattle and sheep from those countries have already been restricted, although a ban on German imports was lifted in March after Berlin enacted a containment zone around the area where cases were found.
Jorge Martin-Almagro, the UK deputy chief veterinary officer for international and trade affairs, said: 'Robust contingency plans are already in place to manage the risk of this disease to protect farmers and Britain's food security.
'This biosecurity measure combined with all others we have implemented are critical to limit the risk of [foot-and-mouth] incursion.'
Because of the severity of its impact, foot-and-mouth is a legally notifiable disease, which means it is an offence not to report it to the Government.
The disease does not affect humans, but is highly infectious in livestock, causing fever and blisters in the mouth and on their hooves. It is not usually fatal but has a higher mortality rate among younger animals.
Previous outbreaks have devastated livestock farms and hammered Britain's rural economy, such as in 2001 and 2007, when millions of cows, pigs and sheep had to be culled, costing the public sector and private companies billions.
In a statement earlier this year, Mr Zeichner said Britain's livestock farmers should 'be absolutely rigorous about their biosecurity' given the emergence of cases in Europe.
Ministers last year announced plans to plough £200m into the country's main animal and plant research and testing facility in Weybridge, Surrey, in the hopes of boosting Britain's defences against the disease and preventing future incidents.
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