Lorry drivers will be banned from taking a ham and cheese sandwich or other meat and dairy products from the UK into the EU from 1 January, even if it is just to eat while driving, UK government officials have said. Personal imports of certain products of animal origin will be prohibited from 11pm on 31 December, a ban which will also apply to tourists travelling to the EU. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs advised transport representatives of the ban this week and gave the specific example in its updated guidance of an ordinary sandwich. The official guidance states: “Drivers travelling to the EU should be aware of additional restrictions to personal imports taking effect from 1 January 2021. If you are carrying prohibited items in your luggage, vehicle or person you will need to use, consume, or dispose of them at or before the border. “From 1 January 2021 you will not be able to bring POAO (products of an animal origin) such as those containing meat or dairy (eg a ham and cheese sandwich) into the EU.” One operator whose fleet of trucks collects vegetables from Belgium said he had not been aware of the new rules and that it could cause friction at the border. “God help the poor customs bloke who is going to turf out the driver’s packing up box [food box]. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are fisticuffs if they try,” Simon Wilkinson said. “The thing is, when drivers are going to Europe they pack up their box for days and weeks. The tractor [the cab of the trailer] is basically their home from home. You have microwaves, the works, in your tractor so that if you do get stuck, or if you are away for a week if you are going somewhere like Spain, you are self-sufficient.” There continue to be Brexit stockpiling queues on the roads in Kent and Calais. The government said this week that a lorry park due to open in Ashford to relieve congestion would be ready for 1 January, but admitted the customs area would not be ready, forcing drivers into a lorry park further inland called Waterbrook.
Aerial shots of the Ashford site showed that construction was not complete with less than two weeks to the end of the Brexit transition period. Other photos this week showed queues on the M20 on the approach to the Eurotunnel, with Kent Online reporting delays of two and a half hours on ferries because of the congestion.
The ban on sandwiches and other food is one more issue for drivers, who face a range of new rules from 1 January including having to produce a Kent access permit for international journeys through the county. The food ban applies to produce arriving in the EU from non-EU countries and will come into force for UK drivers from 1 January, deal or no deal.
The European commission says the restrictions are part of maintaining a biosecure border. “Personal goods containing meat, milk or their products brought into the EU continue to present a real threat to animal health throughout the union. It is known, for example, that dangerous pathogens that cause animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and classical swine fever can reside in meat, milk or their products,” it said. The rules will permit the transit of sweets and chocolate, preserving the long association between truckers and Yorkie bars. UK officials told transport representatives this week that the ban included “products that are store-bought or homemade”.