Every year or so I say to the lovely Mrs eribaMotters about trying to get a credit card without fees for France. She says no, and who am I to argue, I know my place. As such, I track the euro exchange rate in the months leading up to going away and top up the purse. We usually take about 600 Euros away for a month and do the rest on credit cards. The 2.75% fee typically charged is more or less covered by the better exchange rate we get abroad.

Colin

In April 2022 I contacted Europe Direct Contact Centre on <EuropeDirectContactCentre@edcc.ec.europa.eu> My question was:-

The guidelines say no dairy or meat may be brought into Europe from the UK. I have however found this-

The EU document Reference No is:_Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2122 and reads:_

Pursuant to Article 48(d) and (e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, products which form part of passenger’s personal luggage and are intended for their personal consumption or use and small consignments of goods sent to natural persons which are not intended to be placed on the market should be exempted from official controls at border control posts. Concerning small consignments of goods sent to natural persons which are not intended to be placed on the market, Member States should carry-out risk-based controls. The possible risk of introducing pathogenic agents or diseases into the Union through the introduction of products of animal origin should be considered in measures regulating the introduction of such consignments or products.

Your above statement reads that you can take meat and dairy for personal consumption.
Can you please clarify.

Thank you - Colin

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The answer I received is below:-

Thank you for contacting the Europe Direct Contact Centre.

Following your enquiry, we wish to inform you that if you are travelling in the European Union (EU) you can carry meat or dairy products with you as long as they are for your own personal consumption. This also applies to plants or plant products, such as cut flowers, fruit or vegetables as long as they have been grown in an EU country and are free from pests or disease.

In this context, EU includes the 27 EU countries, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland.

These rules also apply when you carry meat, dairy or plant products in your luggage, or if you order these items online or have them sent by mail.

You will find further general information in this regard at the following pages:
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/tr...al/index_en.htm
https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/animal...onal-imports_en
If you are still unsure about the possibility to bring your product(s), we invite you to directly contact the national customs authorities in the country of destination:
https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/cu...inistrations_en

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You can read into the answer two ways.
- Firstly you can take what you want for personal consumption into and across Europe from the UK.
- Secondly, you can take what you want across countries in Europe
I decided to take interpretation No1, but I strongly suspect it should ne No2. Whichever you go for you are OK to take stuff across boundaries once abroad.

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Now the reality of the situation. I do not recall on any forum anybody have food stuffs taken off them when entering France form the UK. Last year we took our usual freezer full of prepared meat products etc without any checks or questions as to what we had being asked. Most seem to continue with the practice of taking a few meals for convenience and the general fresh contents of the home fridge that would resemble a green slime if left there until your return a month or so later.
The worst case scenario for us could have been the goods being confiscated.

Colin

This is the time you miss that teenage son. You know, the one who used to eat all of the chocolate biscuits, leave their bedroom a mess, hide the tv remote control, forget to let you know when they were out or would be back, spend all night on the playstation ...... but who also knew about phones and computers.

Colin