“Since Brexit, you are not allowed to bring certain foods to Europe, such as meat, vegetables, fish, this kind of thing.”
That was the answer that a British truck driver received upon arrival in the Netherlands when border agents confiscated his ham sandwiches, following the new rules of the Brexit agreement.
Dutch television channel TV NPO1 filmed the agents confiscating ham sandwiches and other food to drivers from the United Kingdom.
Officials are seen explaining the regulations against the importation of certain items that have come into effect since the United Kingdom formalized its separation from the European Union.
Under the EU rules, travelers arriving from abroad to the countries of the bloc cannot introduce products that contain meat or dairy .
In one scene, the officer asks the driver if any of the sandwiches he has wrapped in paper aluminum contain meat.
When the driver answers affirmatively, the border agent says: “Well, we take them all.”
Surprised, the driver asks the official if he can at least keep the bread , to which they answered: “No, everything will be confiscated. Welcome to Brexit, sir. I’m sorry”.
The departure from the United Kingdom means the end of free movement and the imposition of new regulations including those that govern the importation of personal property.
UK fully and formally separated from the EU on 31 from December to 2020. Read more about Brexit here :
- 3 aspects that will change in the lives of Europeans and Britons after the United Kingdom leaves the EU
- The problems that are beginning to become evident after the effective exit of the United Kingdom from the EU
- Brexit: quick guide to understanding the agreement between the UK and the EU
The British government has issued guides to commercial drivers transporting to the EU, warning them to “be aware of the restrictions additional to personal imports. ”
“ POA (products of animal origin) such as those containing meat or dairy (for example a ham and cheese sandwich) cannot be brought to the EU ”, you read in the guides. “There are exceptions to this rule for certain amounts of powdered infant milk, infant food, specialty foods, or special processed pet food.”
In its website, the European Commission notes that the ban is necessary because such products “continue to pose a threat to animal health throughout the Union.”
“It is known, for example, that dangerous pathogens that can cause diseases in animals such as foot-and-mouth disease in cattle and classical swine fever can reside in meat or milk products ”, says the Commission.
Regardless, the border agency of the Netherlands shared a photo of the food that it has confiscated from drivers at the ferry terminal at Port Hoek van Holland.
“Since January 1, you can’t just bring in more food from the UK,” explains the agency. So be prepared if you are traveling to the Netherlands from the UK and spread the word. This way we will avoid wasting food and together we can ensure that controls are streamlined. ”
The BBC’s economics editor Faisal Islam, described in a tweet the confiscation of the ham sandwiches and other food products on the EU borders with the UK as “a standard implication of the Brexit deal.
Dutch customs on Dutch TV taking away drivers’ ham sandwiches on ferry from UK arriving at Hook of Holland, also put seized food shopping (Waitrose?) On facebook – this is a standard implication of Brexit deal, long indicated in prep documents both in UK and EU… pic.twitter.com/zn2m7VovJI
– Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) January 11, 2021
Remember that can s receive notifications from BBC News Mundo. Download our app and activate them so you don’t miss our best content.
- Do you already know our YouTube channel? Subscribe!
