UK - The UK government has brought in a temporary ban on holidaymakers bringing in cheese and meat products from the EU in a bid to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Travellers have not been allowed to bring back items such as cured meat and cheese, including in sandwiches, since Saturday due to the growing outbreak on the continent. The restrictions apply regardless of whether the goods are packed or packaged, or bought from duty free.
It follows an earlier ban of similar products from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria after rising cases of the cattle disease in those countries. Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly infectious virus that causes blisters inside an animal's mouth and under their hooves, and can cause lameness and problems feeding. It causes no risk to humans and there are currently no cases of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK. However, there are concerns that if contaminated products enter the UK, even if they are designed for human consumption, there is a chance that they could be consumed by animals. If meat products are partially cooked or smoked, or if dairy products have not been pasteurised properly, the virus could survive in them. (BBC/Getty Images)
