The controls, launched on April 12, are “critical to limit the risk of foot-and-mouth disease incursion,” according to the U.K.’s deputy chief veterinary officer for international and trade affairs, Dr. Jorge Martin-Almagro.
The shop, which sold items including a 40-pack of cured sausages, is five meters from a U.K. Border Force post where British border officials are permanently stationed checking passports.
A U.K. government spokesperson said: “This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers from foot-and-mouth disease. We are working closely with Border Force, ports, airports and international travel operators, to increase awareness of the new restrictions including via prominent signs.”
The ban on personal imports was introduced following the detection of foot-and-mouth cases in Hungary and Germany earlier this year. But experts have warned that U.K. health officials lack the funds to enforce the rules, as POLITICO reported in April.
A 2001 outbreak in the U.K. saw 6 million cows and sheep slaughtered on farms and restrictions on access to the countryside introduced in a bid to halt the spread of the disease.
The estimated cost of the episode to the British economy was £8 billion.
