Can you take bait and boilies to France now? What food stuffs are you no longer able to take? And can you still take your dog? We gather some articles that should help you find the answers.
Can I take bait – boilies, particle etc – to France after BREXIT?
In short – you can no longer take meat or dairy products into France and most boilies contain dairy. In terms of other bait without dairy, like particles, it would appear you are limited to 2kg.
Below we go into more detail….
We spoke to a very helpful man at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), which is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
He was quite definitive in saying a product containing anything dairy (which boilies do) will definitely require an export health certificate – which cannot be obtained by individuals – or you run the risk of being confiscated. It’s less clear on non-dairy products (particle baits like hemp etc) but he still felt that large quantities (above 2kg) will run the risk of being confiscated if an inspection of your vehicle took place at the port.
Munch Baits have also been working on this subject since the Brexit vote was decided to ensure they can continue trading with the EU.
They have stated: ‘…more concerning to anglers is obviously the laws in taking bait for personal use to France etc. They are quite simple; any baits containing animal by-products (dairy, meat etc) are not allowed to be taken, any baits not containing animal by-products (particles) are allowed to be taken but will be restricted to 2kg.’
The full post from Munch Baits is well worth a read here.
The general consensus on the Carp Forum thread ‘Taking bait to Europe?’, from a cross section of fishery owners & anglers, is the same. The general feeling is that time will tell as to how stringent the rules will be enforced.
Nearly all our French carp fishing lakes offer a selection of bait on site.
The very few that don’t have almost all agreed to accept customer’s bait deliveries directly to the lake for their customers (but please check with them before you make any orders) – it is worth checking out bait companies like baitology.co.uk who are based in the EU and currently offering free delivery on online orders over 10kg.
We have written a separate blog with more pointers on where you can buy bait in France here – Where To Buy Carp Fishing Bait in France
Can I take my food and alcohol with me from the UK?
Again, the same rules apply for your human food. Connexion has published two articles to try and clarify:
– Brexit: What you can (and cannot) bring into France from UK
– Taking Alcohol to and from France
In essence;
Meat, meat products (that do not ‘look like’ meat but are made from it) and milk and dairy products may not be brought in. This includes, eg. yoghurt, cheese, Bovril. Also included under dairy products are butter, ice-cream and cream.
There is an exception for less than 2kg of powdered baby milk, and baby food or special foods needed for medical reasons (if they are foods that do not need to be chilled, are branded items and in unbroken packages unless needed for current use). This category also includes special pet foods needed for veterinary reasons.
With regard to dairy, for example, you can bring in processed products with only a moderate amount of dairy in them, such as milk chocolate.
As for the rules on plants and plant products, they essentially refer to fresh plants, vegetables and fruits etc, so you can bring in for example rolled porridge oats (but not whole oat seed suitable for planting), you can bring in teabags and roasted coffee beans are acceptable.
You can also bring in items containing products of plant origin but processed, crushed, powdered, cooked etc… so that would include eg. biscuits and baked beans.
You will also be subject to limitations on how much alcohol you can take into France. No more than:
16 litres of beer
Four litres of wine
One litre of alcohol of ABV greater than 22%
Two litres of alcohol of ABV lower than 22%
Can I still take my dog with me on holiday?
According to www.gov.uk you are no longer able to use a Pet Passport issued in Great Britain for travel to an EU country.
The updated guidance note from DEFRA can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad/travelling-to-an-eu-country-or-northern-ireland
The Eurotunnel website also gives helpful advice on travelling with your pet: https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/travelling-with-us/travelling-with-your-pet/checklist/
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