Taking food into Europe whilst caravanning.

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Bit of an odd question, but I've just been going through the check list for our trip to France next month. Apart from all the stuff like triangle, spare bulbs etc. It says you can't take food items like milk and meat. Has anyone had this enforced or checked recently. Are they really going to look in my fridge?
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Hello Keith,

There will always be some who chance their luck ( and often brag about it), and ignore the rules, but it is foolish to follow their example as you could be the first one the authorities decide to make an example of.

It very much like speeding, you might get away with it until your caught.
 
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Rules are rules. And I would not risk it. I have had the van quickly searched in the distant past a few times. Once they found knives in the kitchen! And ask what they were for. I said food prep and he walked off. Unbelievable.

I would have liked to have thought that, despite Brexit, there could be a simple agreement which said something like *enough food stuff as required for 2 days” . That would make life easier for travelers of all nationalities in both directions, and simplify life for customs officials. As well as preventing some waste. But that has not happened, at least not officially.

John
 
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Rules are rules. And I would not risk it. I have had the van quickly searched in the distant past a few times. Once they found knives in the kitchen! And ask what they were for. I said food prep and he walked off. Unbelievable.

I would have liked to have thought that, despite Brexit, there could be a simple agreement which said something like *enough food stuff as required for 2 days” . That would make life easier for travelers of all nationalities in both directions, and simplify life for customs officials. As well as preventing some waste. But that has not happened, at least not officially.

John
UK has once again deferred the checks on specified goods coming into the country initially through incompetence but the current reason being to help keep the cost of living down, despite the fact that many companies invested millions to be ready in time. The EU introduced them the day we left the internal market in 2021. I support Profs view in that why risk being checked and found to be in contravention of the rules. Yes it’s inconvenient but other countries have similar rules albeit you don't travel there by car.
 
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UK has once again deferred the checks on specified goods coming into the country initially through incompetence but the current reason being to help keep the cost of living down, despite the fact that many companies invested millions to be ready in time. The EU introduced them the day we left the internal market in 2021. I support Profs view in that why risk being checked and found to be in contravention of the rules. Yes it’s inconvenient but other countries have similar rules albeit you don't travel there by car.

I also made it clear I would not risk it either. My point was I would have liked countries to make a practical, common sense, logical, workable rules. But I realise that is not the case and is just wishful thinking on my part.

Reminds me of driving between Victoria and South Australia. Just an honesty bin at the side of the road to dump unpermitted foodstuffs. Not even a layby to stop at.

John
 
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I also made it clear I would not risk it either. My point was I would have liked countries to make a practical, common sense, logical, workable rules. But I realise that is not the case and is just wishful thinking on my part.

Reminds me of driving between Victoria and South Australia. Just an honesty bin at the side of the road to dump unpermitted foodstuffs. Not even a layby to stop at.

John
I agree with you and it was the same travelling by air both into and around Australia, but if caught with prohibited items the fines were substantial. However UK is now classed as a third country in relation to the rules so we aren’t being treated any differently to other non EU countries, unless they have specific trade deals. Not forgetting that whilst in the EU we also should have been imposing those rules on third countries. But in most cases stuff imported directly into UK from non EU sources could only come in by air or sea, so the rules and bureaucracy were mainly invisible to us.
 
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I also made it clear I would not risk it either. My point was I would have liked countries to make a practical, common sense, logical, workable rules. But I realise that is not the case and is just wishful thinking on my part.

Reminds me of driving between Victoria and South Australia. Just an honesty bin at the side of the road to dump unpermitted foodstuffs. Not even a layby to stop at.

John
The rules are workable and simple, Good sense (Logic) tells you "don't take prohibited items across boarder's". And it's eminently far more practical to have a simple ban on items, rather than making it far more complex to understand and manage by making exceptions dependant on time or promises of personal usage.

If you want to take prescribed items across a border either get the requisite permissions and documents, or don't take them - easy enough for e Meerkat to understand. :devilish:
 
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[
The rules are workable and simple, Good sense (Logic) tells you "don't take prohibited items across boarder's". And it's eminently far more practical to have a simple ban on items, rather than making it far more complex to understand and manage by making exceptions dependant on time or promises of personal usage.

If you want to take prescribed items across a border either get the requisite permissions and documents, or don't take them - easy enough for e Meerkat to understand. :devilish:

On this we clearly disagree. Remember Mr Churchil.

1 If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.

2 Rules were made for fools to follow and wise men to be guided by.

John
 
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According to people who have crossed over and taken food with them, there has been no issue. This has been reported on numerous forums including the CAMC forum. Probably because they are not interested in the "little man" carrying stuff for their own personal consumption, but rather large shippers of goods. They also know that their tourism industry like ours needs to recover and the last thing they need it to put British people off visiting.

I am not saying it is right or wrong taking your own food as only you can take that decision whether to chance it or not. When we cross next year we will have milk in the fridge for our own consumption, bacon and Branson baked beans. Also Cesar dog food for our animal as she is very fussy about her food. LOL!
We have never been able to find decent bacon in any French supermarket. No issue with bacon in Spain.
 
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I must admit I find it hard to believe they would be bothered in checking all the caravans and motorhomes fridges. Will still be taking milk for the journey but maybe scale back the rest. It will cut down the weight anyway.
 
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Is it worth mentioning that the rules are not there simply to annoy holiday makers and certainly not as a "punishment for Brexit" as some misguided people might claim.

Whilst arguably there is no greater risk of carrying some "nastie" into Europe now than before Brexit that's not the point.

Making complicated rules to please a few caravanners/motor-homers who want to carry banned products makes absolutely no sense when considered against the fundamental reason the restrictions are there.

Of course our Government could negotiate terms with France so that "we" could carry our ham sandwiches with impunity. Hardly likely that's going to happen when the whole area of imports/exports seems to be causing some "minor" difficulties!

Things are as they are.

Put simply, since simplicity seems to be in demand, don't carry any of the banned products with you.

Alternatively you could decide the rules don't apply to you and ignore them. If this is the route you travel then don't start moaning if by some chance you are stopped and fined!

It really is that simple. Not complicated at all.

Over to you..................!
 
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Making complicated rules to please a few caravanners/motor-homers who want to carry banned products makes absolutely no sense when considered against the fundamental reason the restrictions are there.



It really is that simple. Not complicated at all.

Over to you..................!

Why do you think there is any need for complicated rules?

Please explain the fundamental reason for the restrictions.

I don't think anyone has suggested that the current situation is not simple. My question is, is it at all necessary?

Personally I think a simple rule such as foodstuffs for personal consumption for a couple of days is simple, uncomplicated, easy to control and workable.

I mentioned earlier traveling between Australian states. But travelers can bring permitted good into the country while they clamp down on anything which might import disease.

John

PS, f I were traveling, I would not risk it, and I am not a vocation anyone does.
 
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Why do you think there is any need for complicated rules?

Please explain the fundamental reason for the restrictions.

I don't think anyone has suggested that the current situation is not simple. My question is, is it at all necessary?

Personally I think a simple rule such as foodstuffs for personal consumption for a couple of days is simple, uncomplicated, easy to control and workable.

I mentioned earlier traveling between Australian states. But travelers can bring permitted good into the country while they clamp down on anything which might import disease.

John

PS, f I were traveling, I would not risk it, and I am not a vocation anyone does.
The rules as far as caravanners and tourists aren’t complicated, they are complex and expensive for companies exporting goods into the EU, and can bring unrequited delays to drivers of HGVs if their paperwork isn’t 100%, or they are subjected to a spot check. But nothing more than a minor irritation to caravanners. But this country was excercising those same rules to goods imported directly into UK from “third countries” not in the single market of the EU. But those types of goods would have arrived by sea or air so in the main the checking of those goods was “ invisible’ to us and for the countries exporting those goods into UK the paperwork and procedures had been honed over many years of usage.
 
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Why do you think there is any need for complicated rules?

Please explain the fundamental reason for the restrictions.

I don't think anyone has suggested that the current situation is not simple. My question is, is it at all necessary?

Personally I think a simple rule such as foodstuffs for personal consumption for a couple of days is simple, uncomplicated, easy to control and workable.

I mentioned earlier traveling between Australian states. But travelers can bring permitted good into the country while they clamp down on anything which might import disease.

John

PS, f I were traveling, I would not risk it, and I am not a vocation anyone does.

The fundamental reason for these restrictions, and those regarding importation of food in every country is to limit the potential spread of disease or anything undesirable that can be carried in the items banned.

When I was entering NZ a few years ago all worn shoes as well as those on my feet were examined for a potential "bug" that NZ was trying to keep out of the country. Imagine the potential for such "bugs" to be carried in food, animal produce and the like.

Simply put the fundamental reason for the restrictions are for protection.

Bearing this in mind it is surely abundantly clear that "imported" nasties don't sit around "for a couple of days" before doing their worst!

The ban is a ban. Nothing more and nothing less.
 
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The fundamental reason for these restrictions, and those regarding importation of food in every country is to limit the potential spread of disease or anything undesirable that can be carried in the items banned.

When I was entering NZ a few years ago all worn shoes as well as those on my feet were examined for a potential "bug" that NZ was trying to keep out of the country. Imagine the potential for such "bugs" to be carried in food, animal produce and the like.

Simply put the fundamental reason for the restrictions are for protection.

Bearing this in mind it is surely abundantly clear that "imported" nasties don't sit around "for a couple of days" before doing their worst!

The ban is a ban. Nothing more and nothing less.
I recall when flying to the US that the forms given out before landing asked if you had been on a farm within the last 7 days. Difficult one for me as we had a small holding plus walking around the area with the children and dogs invariably put you into fields or moorland with livestock. Cannot recall for the life of me what my “ stock” answer was; but I entered the US many times. 😀
 
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When we arrived in New Zealand too, customs took an unopened bag of walnuts that we had previously bought at Aldi off us. They said that if the walnuts had been roasted we would have been allowed to bring them into the country, but as they weren't they were disposed of in a rubbish bin. If New Zealanders can do that sort of thing, why shouldn't the EU be allowed to do it too?
 
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The fundamental reason for these restrictions, and those regarding importation of food in every country is to limit the potential spread of disease or anything undesirable that can be carried in the items banned.

When I was entering NZ a few years ago all worn shoes as well as those on my feet were examined for a potential "bug" that NZ was trying to keep out of the country. Imagine the potential for such "bugs" to be carried in food, animal produce and the like.

Simply put the fundamental reason for the restrictions are for protection.

Bearing this in mind it is surely abundantly clear that "imported" nasties don't sit around "for a couple of days" before doing their worst!

The ban is a ban. Nothing more and nothing less.

I don't disagree. But the nasties are covered by banned items. Just like the New Zealand and Australian examples provided. It does not need to be complicated. Not sure if the present situation is properly enforceable.

John
 
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Countries generally welcome tourists, they bring income by spending money locally - there's no incentive for any country to do any more than issue basic prohibitions on individuals taking food in. Caravanners, with loaded fridges, are a very small proportion of any country's tourist industry so unlikely to warrant any concessions, as they can boost the local economy by buying food when they arrive.
 
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Countries generally welcome tourists, they bring income by spending money locally - there's no incentive for any country to do any more than issue basic prohibitions on individuals taking food in. Caravanners, with loaded fridges, are a very small proportion of any country's tourist industry so unlikely to warrant any concessions, as they can boost the local economy by buying food when they arrive.

Surely restrictions apply equally to all forms of travel.

John
 
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The fundamental reason for these restrictions, and those regarding importation of food in every country is to limit the potential spread of disease or anything undesirable that can be carried in the items banned.

When I was entering NZ a few years ago all worn shoes as well as those on my feet were examined for a potential "bug" that NZ was trying to keep out of the country. Imagine the potential for such "bugs" to be carried in food, animal produce and the like.

Simply put the fundamental reason for the restrictions are for protection.

Bearing this in mind it is surely abundantly clear that "imported" nasties don't sit around "for a couple of days" before doing their worst!

The ban is a ban. Nothing more and nothing less.
Trying telling that to those crossing the channel illegally. I suspect that they have contributed to an escalation in some diseases.
 
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Trying telling that to those crossing the channel illegally. I suspect that they have contributed to an escalation in some diseases.
That’s a bit of an irrelevant reply and way out of context. Why not pick on drug runners also…..way more dangerous.
 
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Yes - most forms of travel don't include living accomodation or a stocked fridge - in that sense, caravanners are somewhat unique.

Of course. But the rules are the same.

Also, when we used to travel by car to sites like many do, we stocked up with food. So not that unique.


John
 
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