France trip and banned foodstuffs

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roberth

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I'm planning a weekend run to Boulougne, partly to replenish rapidly decreasing wine stocks and partly to put into practice all that great advice on dodging big ships that's appeared on the forum recently.
Having looked at DEFRA's list of banned foodstuffs due to the foot-and-mouth outbreaks, it seems crisps and peanuts are about the only thing I can take.
I can understand (just) a ban on fresh meat and milk, but the list of processed products is almost endless.
What have other peeps done - eg those on the recent Scuttlebutt trip to Cherbourg?
Are French officials likely to rifle through the boat (customs are quite keen in Boulogne)? Should we just take enough for the trip over, and take off all other foodstuffs before we leave?
 
You can take what ever you like AFAIK, but you must not land any of it ashore (i.e. put it in the bin in France). Just bring it home again.
 
That's what we did ... took it with us (with the intention of eating it on the way ... fat chance!!) and had it on the way back ... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif ... without a fridge the milk was off by the time I made an afternoon cuppa /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Yep, that's what the Defra web site says sort of (under ship's stores rather than personal exports).
However, I suppose, to be safe, it would be best to not take any beef, lamb, pork, deer, milk and things made from them just in case. After all, they are reported to have food shops outside the UK. And who wants some hairy customs dude ripping your boat apart at the start of your holiday.
DEFRA
 
I think it is important to get this right. The Defra guidance is that it is illegal to take any of the banned foodstuffs abroad. As far as Defra is concerned, you are 'abroad' when you enter the territorial waters of another country (ie within 12 miles of the land). Thus, if you are boarded by French officials 11 miles off Cherbourg and found to have any of the banned foodstuffs on board, you are breaking the law and could face a fine. In fact, you would be breaking the law even if you had no intention of going alongside abroad, since the onus would be on you to prove that you did not intend to land the foodstuffs. So, if you have any banned foodstuffs on board, you need to consume them (and dispose of the packaging) before entering another country's territorial waters. And, of course, you would not wish to dispose of non-bio-degradable waste whilst you are at sea, so I guess you are limited to carrying only foodstuffs which are not banned.
 
IMHO, take the risk seriously but don't get all white knuckled, pedantic and anal retentive on this ...

Like Fireball (above), we went to Cherbourg last weekend and although we took normal foodstuffs and milk (but no fresh meat, obviously), we were careful in respecting the spirit of the law in not "landing" anything. Now, between the Scuttlebutt gang and the JOG race, there were more than 40 British boats in C'bourg alone ... their arrival was scheduled and well known to the authorities yet no French coast guard, no gendarmes, nor any boeuf police ever showed themselves. If this dictate was at the top of their list, they would have been there and acted.
But again, that's IMHO; Sod's Law often supercedes logic.
 
Thanks all.

Not sure how French customs would wear the Ships Stores ruling, but it seems prudent to avoid high-risk products. And not land anything else - why would we anyway?

I'll let you know if I end up being a test-case...
 
Your 'guess' is wrong.

You may take meat and dairy but do not land any, either as bought or as food waste.

Take what you must for the trip, then do a provisions shop when you get there.

It's what we should do anyway, as continental food is cheaper than uk - ask any ship owner.
 
My 'guess' is actually precisely what I was told when I rang the Defra helpline this afternoon. They may not speak for the way in which foreign Customs will interpret the rules, but I would tend to adhere to their guidance nonetheless.
 
The coastguard tagged a mesg onto the end of their weather info broadcasts - the specifically mentioned LANDING banned food ... nothing about having it on the boat.

The problem with DEFRA is that they have to cater for everyone travelling abroad via any method conceivable ... so a straight forward ban anything that moves, has moved or is ever likely to move is far easier ...
 
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