Since the end of the Brexit transition period, travellers who want to bring British food products into France have faced strict controls and outright bans on certain substances, from a ham sandwich for the journey to bringing in a little gift of chocolate or your mum’s home baking.
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But taking French produce into the UK has been unaffected.
This was originally set to change in 2022, but has since been delayed several times. The latest indication is that checks will begin from October 31st, 2023.
As with food checks on entry to the EU, the main thrust is food businesses and people importing products for commercial reasons – but they can also affect individual travellers, whether that is holidaymakers taking home a box of French chocolates or French residents bringing gifts of saussison sec or confit de canard for friends and family in the UK.
Since January 1st 2022 full customs declarations and customs controls has been imposed at the UK border – but this affects only business imports, not private individuals such as returning holidaymakers.
The introduction of checks on specified products including meat products, dairy products, certain types of plants and fish products have been delayed repeatedly, but now the UK government says they will be phased in from October 31st, in three stages.
The rules as written refer to all imports – not only those for commercial purposes – so would cover holidaymakers taking home a little French paté or smelly cheese as a souvenir, or Brits living in France bringing gifts of Breton salted caramel or sablé biscuits to friends and family in the UK.
The situation with alcohol is a little different, see below.
Pre October 31st
If you’re travelling from France to the UK before the end of October there is no limit on bringing in food products as long as they are for your personal use or as gifts, and you are not intending to sell them.
November 2023
From November 1st, food products entering the UK can be subject to checks. The UK government says that it is phasing in checks in a two-stage approach, and initial checks will be ‘targeted’ – meaning that not everyone entering the UK will be checked.
It’s likely that checks on individuals such as families arriving by car at Dover or people getting off the Eurostar in London will be operated on a very light-touch basis.
However, the phyto-sanitary rules potentially affect animal products – so that would include meat, fish, eggs and dairy or any food products that contain any of those ingredients such as chocolate, cheese or jelly sweets.
Anyone who wants to import these products to the UK on a commercial basis will need a veterinary certificate. Since these are impractical for individual travellers, it amounts to a de facto ban on bringing these products into the UK.
The first phase of the checks is the requirement to have animal health certificates for imports.
January 2024
From the beginning of January 2024 the second phase of checks starts, which involves “documentary and risk-based identity and physical checks on medium-risk animal and plant products and high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU”.
This concerns the same type of products as above, but will involve physical checks of the items, rather than just a check of the paperwork.
October 2024
The final phase of paperwork, safety and security declarations for EU imports will come into force on October 31st, 2024.
Wine, beer and spirits
French wine, beer and spirits are not affected by the latest announcement, but have since January 2021 been subject to new limits.
Bringing to an end the cherished tradition of the booze cruise, there are now strict limits on the amount of wine, beer, spirits and tobacco that can be brought into the UK from the EU.
The amounts still allow for bringing a few gifts into the UK, but gone are the days of taking the car over to Calais and loading up the boot in one of the many French wine warehouses.
You can find full details on allowances HERE.
How strict will these checks be?
It’s difficult to tell whether the regime of checks will be as strict as for people entering the EU from the UK, but the indications are that they probably won’t, especially for holidaymakers.
Mindful of long queues already seen at the border since Brexit, the latest announcement from UK authorities mentions several protocols designed to keep traffic moving – such as building special centres for checks for commercial verification away from the main port areas.
This suggests that checks for individuals will be light-touch, but they cannot be ruled out. If you are found to be in possession of foodstuffs without the correct paperwork, the items will be confiscated.
The introduction of these checks has already been delayed several times, so it’s possible that they could be delayed again.
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It’s a shame . The EU was offered full mutual recognition for these food products but refused as they’re desperately trying to demonstrate there’s any benefit to EU membership.
There obviously IS benefit to EU membership – the Single Market – which the UK government opted to leave, in a hard brexit, so it can hardly expect to keep the benefits of it. Johnson explicitly proposed ‘cakeism’ for the UK (eat your cake/cheese and keep it). The EU was never going to give it to him, and didn’t. IMHO All these problems are due to the disingenuous Leave campaign and then the UK government opting for a hard brexit, that few voted for. Recent polls of UK opinion show considerable ‘buyers regret’ in those who voted Leave.
This is not a ‘hard brexit’ by any stretch of the imagination. The unfortunate thing is that this a typical Politicians mess.
We have ended up with the worst of both worlds, still paying for the EU and without the ‘Benefits’ of membership.
I voted to leave, but to me, Leave meant Leave totally, and not this Halfway house. It was pie in the sky to imagine that the EU would wave us a fond farewell. Their aim is to protect the Eurocrats self interest at all cost and that is expansionism at any cost.
The regret we feel is that we have been sold down the river by our Political rulers which was inevitable once our High Court decided that our democratic vote should be further scrutinised by the House of Parliament
What on earth made you think that leaving a major trading block with a set of rules we helped formulate was going to be any different? I have no idea what you expected to happen. Brexit was never going to work. We could have stayed in the SM and CU but that was May’s red line. It’s not the EU’s fault that it’s applying the rules to us. We’re just another third country.
Another cock up from the Brexit Team – There was absolutely NO benefit in leaving the EU, but I am sure someone is making a tidy profit out of everyone else’s misery.