'Please don't bring back your food' - Farmers make plea to tourists in Cyprus following FMD outbreak

Fines of £5,000 could be waiting for those who try to bring back personal food items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into the UK from countries with confirmed foot-and-mouth cases

Chris Brayford
clock • 2 min read
NBA chair Ben Harman said: "The foot-and-mouth outbreak we suffered in 2001 cost in excess of six million animals, which was likely caused by contaminated food products being brought back into the UK from abroad. So please, at this time, do not bring back any food products back from Cyprus."
Image:

NBA chair Ben Harman said: "The foot-and-mouth outbreak we suffered in 2001 cost in excess of six million animals, which was likely caused by contaminated food products being brought back into the UK from abroad. So please, at this time, do not bring back any food products back from Cyprus."

Farmers have urged holidaymakers to help protect the UK's biosecurity and farming businesses by not bringing back food from countries with cases of foot-and-mouth. On February 20, the first case of...

To continue reading...

Already a member? Login for full access.

Login

New to Farmers Guardian? Register for 1 free article per week or become a member for unlimited access to essential farming news and insights.

article-img-580x358

 

More on Animal Health

NPA raises questions on imported food safety after reports of ASF-infected meat on sale in UK

NPA raises questions on imported food safety after reports of ASF-infected meat on sale in UK

clock 06 February 2026 • 2 min read
Bovine TB: Gov urged to clarify next steps

Bovine TB: Gov urged to clarify next steps

Livestock farmer says delays risk undoing any progress on 'devastating disease'

clock 05 February 2026 • 2 min read
Letters: "British farmers risk being abandoned again by animal welfare reform"

Letters: "British farmers risk being abandoned again by animal welfare reform"

This week from Farmers Guardian readers: Ex-pig farmer John Walmsley, Blackburn, warns that higher welfare laws could once again undercut British farmers if trade protections are not enforced

John Walmsley
clock 27 January 2026 • 2 min read