EU red tape means Britons can no longer take these items on holiday to Spain

Since the UK departed the EU, customs rules on food and beverage are different for British travellers. When going on holiday to Spain, as per guidelines of the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC), certain items cannot be taken over the border. Meat and dairy, for instance, are a no-go – a rule with its origins in the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis.

Wensleydale, Cornish Brie, or British bacon cannot be taken on trips from the UK to Spain because personal imports of meat, meat products, milk or milk products are not allowed into the EU.

Likewise, the EU’s tight rules on animal-derived products mean a box of chocolate, fudge, custard and sweets (because of the gelatine) are all off the cards.

While popular Bovril, which contains beef stock, is not permitted in tourists’ luggage, Marmite, which is vegan, is fine.

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Powdered infant milk, infant food, and special foods or special pet feed required for medical reasons that do not require refrigeration and are packaged brand products are exempt from the rules.

This means that when travelling with kids, for example, up to 2kg of powdered infant milk are permitted, and the same goes for pet foods.

An exception also applies to less than 10kg of meat and dairy products that come from the Faeroe Islands or Greenland.

Anyone looking to pack alcohol into their luggage should bear in mind the maximum allowed quantities – four litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer, one litre of spirits, or two litres of sparkling or fortified wine.

Several cases were reported in Ireland and mainland Europe, the Netherlands being the worst affected country outside the UK, with 25 cases.

The often fatal condition affects cloven-footed animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs.

Most evidence showed infected animal products had been imported from the far east and been used as animal feed on pig farms, passing on the virus.

In the UK, as cases mounted over the weeks, more and more animals had to be slaughtered – nationally, more than six million pigs, cattle and sheep on more than 10,000 farms.