Pork snacks have been pulled from sale in the Eurostar departure area at Brussels Midi station, following warnings they could breach UK biosecurity rules.
POLITICO reported at the end of last week that a wide selection of banned pork products were still on sale beyond security and passport control at Brussels Midi station in a shop exclusively accessible to people traveling to London.
This was despite the government tightening up the rules on personal imports in April in response to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Europe, making it illegal to bring in any foods like cured meats, cheese, and milk into Britain from the EU, with travellers facing fines of up to £5,000 for breaching the rules.
According to a new POLITICO report, a spokesperson for Eurostar said the products had been removed. “Following the UK Government’s decision to ban the import of meat and dairy products from the EU, Eurostar has communicated the new regulations to customers on its website and placed clear signage at relevant departure points,” they said.
“The Eurostar terminal and retail concessions at Brussels-Midi are owned and managed by SNCB (and not by Eurostar). They have confirmed these products have now been withdrawn.”
The NPA had described the initial report as ‘extremely alarming’ and called for the government to act. “Clearly the news of these controls, which have been in place for some time, has not been received and understood,” NPA senior policy adviser Katie Jarvis said.
The NPA welcomed the decision to remove the products and said the incident highlights the need to continually raise awareness about the personal imports, particularly as the summer holiday season gathers pace.