From butter to mutton: Full list of meat and dairy items UK travellers are now banned from bringing back from EU

16 April 2025, 15:38 | Updated: 17 April 2025, 12:24

You can no longer bring in meat or dairy products into the UK from the EU.

New measures have come into force, banning imports of things like beef, cheese and butter for personal use.

But there are different rules in Northern Ireland, which still allow animal products to be brought in from the EU.

The government said the ban is a biosecurity measure to help prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease to the UK following a rising number of cases across Europe.

The government said in a social media post: "You can no longer bring meat or dairy products from EU or EEA countries into Great Britain for personal use.

"This includes beef, pork, lamb, mutton, venison and goat meat, and all dairy products like cheese, butter or yoghurt.

"If you're travelling over Easter weekend, check what you can and can't bring back before you go."

According to the government website, you cannot bring in any of the following meat, dairy and animal products for human consumption:

• pork
• beef
• lamb
• mutton
• goat
• venison
• other products made from these meats, for example sausages
• milk and dairy products like butter, cheese and yoghurt

You can bring in up to 2kg per person of powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food needed for medical reasons.

You can only bring it in if it does not need to be refrigerated before use, and is in branded, unopened packaging (unless in current use).

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According to the government website, you can bring the following into Great Britain from any country without any restrictions:

• bread, but not sandwiches filled with meat or dairy products
• cakes without fresh cream
• biscuits
• chocolate and confectionery, but not those made with a lot of unprocessed dairy ingredients
• pasta and noodles, but not if mixed or filled with meat or meat products
• packaged soup, stocks and flavourings
• processed and packaged plant products, such as packaged salads and frozen plant material
• food supplements containing small amounts of an animal product, such as fish oil capsules

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said: “This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers from foot & mouth.

“That is why we are further strengthening protections by introducing restrictions on personal meat and dairy imports to prevent the spread of the disease and protect Britain’s food security.”

UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer for international and trade affairs Dr Jorge Martin-Almagro said: “Following the detection of foot and mouth disease in EU countries resulting in a rising risk of introduction into Great Britain, we have extended restrictions on the personal imports of food products that pose a risk in FMD transmission.

“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 FMD incursion.

“I would urge livestock keepers to continue exercising the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, ensure scrupulous biosecurity is maintained and to report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.”