15 May 2025
ā€‹ā€‹
To protect Jerseyā€™s livestock, food security and farming community new safeguard measures
will soon come into force.
This will restrict personal imports of products of animal origin (POAO) from the European
Union.
Effective from 16 May 2025, travellers will no longer be permitted to bring meat or dairy
products from EU single market area (EEA states, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and
Switzerland) countries into Jersey for personal use.
This aligns Jersey with the existing measures in the UK and Crown Dependencies and follows an
increase in confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease (FMD) across parts of Europe.
What This Means for Travellers
Banned Items
This is regardless of whether they are fresh, cured, raw, packed, or purchased from duty -free:
- Meat products from cattle, pigs, sheep or goats
- Dairy products including cheese, milk, and yogurt
- Items containing these products, such as: Meat or cheese sandwiches, cured meats, sausages and milk-based desserts.
Items travellers can still bring
The following remain permitted for personal import:
- Bread (excluding sandwiches filled with meat or dairy)
- Cakes (as long as they do not contain fresh cream)
- Biscuits, chocolate, and confectionery (excluding those with large amounts of
unprocessed dairy)
- Pasta and noodles (not mixed with or filled with meat)
- Packaged soups, stocks, and flavourings
- Processed and packaged plant products, including packaged salads and frozen
vegetables
- Food supplements containing small amounts of animal product (e.g. fish oil capsules)
- Up to 2kg per person of powdered infant milk, baby food, or special dietary food
required for medical reasons.
Why these measures are needed
While foot and mouth disease poses no threat to human health, it is a highly contagious viral
disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals.
The current spread of FMD across parts of Europe presents a serious risk to Jerseyā€™s
agriculture sector.
An outbreak could result in severe economic losses through: Reduced productivity in affected
animals, disruption to trade and potential bans on export of livestock and animal products.
Background
Earlier this year, Jersey introduced specific bans on personal imports of meat and dairy
products from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria following confirmed FMD outbreaks.
The latest measures now extend this safeguard to all EU countries.
Important clarifications
- These restrictions apply only to personal imports from EU countries
- They do not apply to personal imports from Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Guernsey,
or the Isle of Man
- Commercial imports of meat and dairy products from the EU remain permitted,
provided they meet all current import requirements and health standards.
Further Information
These precautionary measures are in line with advice from the UK Department for
Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and are essential to maintaining the health of
Jerseyā€™s livestock.
For more details or specific guidance on permitted items, visit: Bringing food or animal products into Jerseyā€‹.ā€‹
gov.je