How the cheese ban has driven a new wedge between the UK and the EU

Relations between Britain and the European Union are arguably at their best since the Brexit vote in 2016, but a cold front continues between the two neighbors over a ban on imports of continental cheese and meat.

In April, Britain banned all dairy products and various meats from the EU for personal consumption, saying the ban was necessary to prevent the potential spread of foot-and-mouth disease among British livestock following an outbreak in Europe earlier this year.

British holidaymakers traveling on the continent have been warned not to take home food items such as cheese, chorizo, serrano ham and sandwiches containing a wide range of prohibited items, even if they are sealed or purchased from duty-free shops at airports. The ban also applies to cakes, biscuits and chocolates that contain high amounts of unprocessed dairy products and cream.

People found with prohibited items were told they would have to surrender them at the border or have them seized and destroyed. The government says people who ignore the restrictions could be fined up to 5,000 pounds (about $6,700).

The UK says its ban does not apply to commercial food imports, which are subject to stricter biosecurity requirements, including heat treatment and veterinary health certificates.

Cheese shops in Paris, particularly those around Gare du Nord, where Eurostar trains connect to Britain, say the restrictions are hurting sales to key customer groups.

“Tourists are very important, especially British people,” Alexandre Villaca, founder and manager of Fromagerie Ferdinand in Paris, told CNBC, adding that when he opened his cheese shop eight years ago, he chose the Gare du Nord area because of international tourists.

“In recent years, it has been very important for us to have British customers. We have vacuum-packed our cheese so that they can easily travel to the UK. And we have also gained regular customers who used to pass by the store to take gifts to family and friends. … But a few months ago, customers told me they were not allowed to take their cheese home,” he said.

“And that is having a significant impact on our sales to UK customers,” he added.

Viraca said the ban was largely meaningless, given that French authorities are “very strict” about hygiene and regular inspections of cheese producers, their products and distribution. He noted that the British cheese producers that Mr. Viraka worked with were also outraged by the ban.

“We are proud that our customers take home souvenirs, wine and cheese, little bits of France in their bags, so to speak. So[the ban]is incomprehensible and very upsetting. From a business perspective, this is bad news.”

Temporary bans on continental food entering the UK and vice versa are nothing new, and it is worth noting that after leaving the EU, the EU introduced a permanent ban on Britons bringing animal products and dairy products into the UK for personal consumption, for the same reason: to prevent the spread of disease.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a serious concern for a close-knit continent like the European Union, as it can spread very quickly, especially given the region’s interconnected agricultural markets and multiple transmission routes.

Although foot-and-mouth disease poses no danger to humans, it is highly contagious to cattle, sheep, and pigs, and the disease can spread rapidly among livestock with potentially devastating consequences.

Outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease were confirmed in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia earlier this year, but the outbreaks were brought under control as countries quickly implemented animal health control measures at affected facilities, including livestock culling and protection and surveillance zones.

These emergency measures were lifted after Germany declared FMD eradicated in April, and there have been no new outbreaks in Hungary and Slovakia since April.

In late July, the UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in an assessment: “While the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease into Europe earlier this year was undoubtedly concerning, there have been no further reports since April, suggesting the situation in Hungary and Slovakia is under control.”

The report’s authors said they believed the risk of foot and mouth disease entering the UK was a “low (rare but possible)” risk as of July, but the report warned that foot and mouth disease could remain undetected for several months.

The British government told CNBC that the continued ban on private imports of cheese and many meats is aimed at protecting British farmers and Britain’s food security, despite the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease being contained in Europe.

“Earlier this year, following a spate of foot-and-mouth disease cases, we took immediate action to ban private imports of meat and dairy products from Europe. We are also investing £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in a new national biosecurity center to upgrade our world-class facilities and protect farmers, food supplies and the economy,” a Defra spokesperson told CNBC.

“We will do everything we can to protect farmers from animal disease,” the spokesperson added.

But almost six months after the ban, questions are being asked whether the current restrictions are overreaching and no longer necessary.

Mr Defra stressed that the EU is not alone in introducing the current restrictions and is simply doing what the EU has been doing in the years since leaving the EU as standard practice.

Asked when the ban would be lifted as FMD cases are currently under control on the continent, Mr Defra said the government’s “fand and mouth disease response remains under continuous review” and that “restrictions in the UK will remain in place as private imports of affected products pose a biosecurity risk to the UK”.

The UK and EU have learned the hard way what a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak can cause.

The 2001 outbreak first occurred in the United Kingdom and then spread to the continent. It has had a devastating impact on the UK’s farming community, with more than six million animals culled and an estimated £8bn in losses for the UK public and private sectors.

Four million animals have been culled in the EU, and the outbreak is estimated to have cost member states €2.7 billion in eradication measures and compensation to farmers.

In the last outbreak in the UK in 2007, only eight farms were affected, but the overall cost was estimated at £147m due to large-scale livestock movement bans.