6
Deferred
Defra's approach to EU personal imports has been lax, reactive, and complicated.
Conclusion
Under successive governments, Defra’s approach to personal imports from the EU since 2021 has been unnecessarily lax, too reactive and overly complicated. Temporary personal import rules create confusion for travellers, uncertainty for farmers, and difficulty for enforcement professionals. (Conclusion, Paragraph 29)
Government Response Summary
The government states it has deferred permanent personal import rules from the EU until January 2027 and currently has no plans to consult on a permanent policy. It notes existing temporary safeguard measures are in place to address biosecurity risks.
Government Response
Deferred
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
GB Law defines rules under which animal products imported for personal consumption or use are exempt from BCP checks. The Government and the Devolved Governments have deferred the application of these rules for personal imports from the EU as part of the post-EU Exit transitional arrangements (until 31 January 2027). In the meantime, Defra has used safeguard powers to ban certain personal imports from the EU into England in response to animal disease threats. Defra aims to retain these measures until the affected products no longer pose a biosecurity risk. The SPS Agreement will have implications for future policy on goods from the EU. In view of this, the Government partially agrees with this recommendation and has no current plans to consult on a permanent policy for goods from the EU for personal consumption or use.
Source
Inquiry
Animal and plant health
Report
3rd report - Biosecurity at the border: Britain's illegal meat crisis
08 Sep 2025
HC 1296
Timeline
Recommendation age
0.7 yr
Report published
08 Sep 2025