Bringing food into Great Britain

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Meat, dairy, fish and animal products

The rules on bringing meat, dairy, fish and other animal products depend on the country you’re bringing it from.

From the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland

You can bring in the following for personal use:

  • fish
  • poultry, for example chicken, duck, goose and any other products made from these meats
  • other animal products, for example eggs and honey

Because of animal disease outbreaks (including foot and mouth disease) in the EU, there are temporary restrictions in place for bringing in:

  • pork
  • beef
  • lamb
  • mutton
  • goat
  • venison
  • other products made from these meats, for example sausages
  • dairy and milk products
  • animal products not for human consumption

You cannot bring in food from other countries on a connecting flight.

​You need to properly dispose of any leftover animal products so that livestock, wild boar and other animals cannot eat them.

Restrictions on meat and meat products for human consumption

You can only bring in pork, beef, lamb, mutton, goat, venison and products made from these meats if they’re:

  • commercially packaged with an EU identification mark
  • stamped with a health mark if it’s a carcass

You cannot bring in any of these meats from Germany.

You can bring in up to 2kg per person.

Meat and meat products from Germany

You cannot bring in any of the following from Germany:

  • pork
  • beef
  • lamb
  • mutton
  • goat
  • venison
  • other products made from these meats, for example sausages

Restrictions on dairy and milk products for human consumption

You can only bring in milk and dairy products (like cheese or yoghurt) from cows, sheep and goats if they’re commercially packaged with an EU identification mark.

You can bring in up to 2kg per person

You cannot bring in any milk or dairy products from Germany.

You cannot bring in any sheep or goat milk or dairy products from any of the following countries:

  • Bulgaria
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Romania

Restrictions on animal products not for human consumption

You can only bring in pig, cow, sheep, goat and deer products that are not for human consumption (for example, pet food made with pig meat) if they’re either:

  • commercially packaged with the manufacturer’s name and address
  • labelled with a description of the product and the category of animal by-product

You cannot bring in any of these animal products from Germany.

If you’re bringing in any other permitted animal products (for example pet food made with chicken meat) that are not for human consumption they must be either:

You can bring in up to 2kg per person.

From countries outside the EU

If you’re bringing food from a country outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, the following rules apply.

You cannot bring in:

  • meat or meat products
  • milk or milk-based products, except powdered infant milk, infant food or special food (including pet food) needed for medical reasons

You can bring in up to 2kg per person of:

  • honey
  • powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food (including pet food) needed for medical reasons - you can only bring it in if it does not need to be refrigerated before use, and is in branded, unopened packaging (unless in current use)
  • shellfish, such as mussels or oysters
  • snails - these must be preserved or shelled, cooked and prepared
  • frogs’ legs - these must be the back (hind) part of the frog with the skin and internal organs removed
  • insect meat

You can bring in up to 20kg per person in total of fish, including:

  • fresh fish - must be gutted
  • fish products
  • processed fish - must be dried, cooked, cured or smoked
  • lobsters
  • prawns

You cannot bring in caviar unless you have a CITES permit.

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