A ham sandwich is seized by customs officers of a truck driver who enters the country by ferry from Britain, despite the man’s ardent pleas to at least let him have the bread.
Other customs officials rummage through bags in a car and discuss whether they should seize smuggled sardines at a glance.
The scenes, broadcast by a news program in the Netherlands, showed the strict enforcement of the import rules after Brexit after Britain separated from the European Union on 31 December, and took new arrangements for travel, trade, immigration and security cooperation. . effect.
“Welcome to Brexit, sir,” said one of the customs officers, laughing at the truck driver. “Can you take the meat and leave the bread for me?” the driver pleads fruitlessly. “I’m sorry,” the officer replied.
The European Union does not allow travelers from outside countries to take fruit, vegetables, meat or dairy products with them, not even for their own consumption. And now the outside world also includes Britain.
“We are simply implementing regulations,” said Bob van ‘t Klooster, a spokesperson for Dutch customs. “As of January 1, it is no longer permitted to bring in perishable goods from the United Kingdom for travelers.” He insisted it was not picking.
“We have the same prescriptions for people entering the airport in Amsterdam from the UK,” he said.
Due to the pandemic, the consequences of the separation have yet to be fully felt. There is still relatively little traffic between Britain and mainland Europe.
But the Dutch current affairs program “EenVandaag” followed a team of customs officers working at the Hoek van Holland harbor when about a hundred passengers left the harbor in Harwich in England.
The program quotes Rien de Ruijter, a team leader from the local customs website, who said that although the number of travelers was now small, he would increase the waiting time and frustration when the travel restrictions were lifted.
“Customs policy has changed,” he said, “but it is not communicated in England.”
In another scene in the program, a customs officer seizes a can of sardines and declares that fish are not allowed. But it appears that the official himself was not completely familiar with the new regulations. Travelers may bring a total of 20 kilograms of fish to the EU
“It’s not 20 kilos,” another official said after the look.
“I don’t think anyone in the UK ever expected that,” he said. De Ruijter said. “But this is Brexit. This is the new reality we are dealing with. ”