How a cheese ban drove a new wedge between the UK and EU

Relations between the the U.K. and European Union are arguably at the best they’ve been since the Brexit vote in 2016 but there’s an ongoing cold front between the neighbors over a ban on continental cheese and meat imports.

In April, Britain banned people from bringing all dairy products and a range of meats from the EU into the country for personal consumption, saying the prohibition was needed in order to prevent the possible spread of Foot and Mouth Disease among British livestock after outbreaks in Europe earlier this year.

British holidaymakers travelling to the continent were warned not to bring home foodstuffs such as cheese, chorizo, Serrano ham or sandwiches containing any of a wide range of banned products, even if they were sealed or bought in duty-free shops at airports. The ban extends to cakes, biscuits and chocolate containing a high level of unprocessed dairy products or fresh cream.

Those found with banned items were told they’d have to surrender them at the border, or have them seized and destroyed. Anyone flouting the restriction could receive a £5,000 fine (around $6,700), the government said.

The Brits’ ban did not apply to commercial food imports because they undergo more stringent biosecurity requirements, such as heat treatment and veterinary health certificates, the U.K. said.

Cheese shops in Paris — and particularly those situated around the Gare du Nord where Eurostar trains travel to and from the U.K. — say the restrictions have hit sales to a vital customer base.

“Tourists are very important, and especially English people,” Alexandre Vilaca, founder and manager of Fromagerie Ferdinand in Paris, told CNBC, noting that when he opened his cheese shop eight years ago, he had chosen the Gare du Nord neighborhood for its international visitors.

“These past few years, it was very important to have English clients. We vacuum-packed the cheese so they could travel easily to the U.K., and we started to have regular clients who used to pass by our shop in order to bring some gifts to the families and friends ... But a few months ago, clients told me that it was forbidden to bring cheese back home,” he said.

“And it’s had a huge impact on our sales to U.K. clients,” he added.