A ham sandwich is seized by customs officials from a truck driver who enters Britain by ferry from Britain, despite the man’s fervent pleas to at least leave the bread for him.
Other customs officials rummage through bags in the trunk of a car, debating whether to seize a can of possibly smuggled sardines.
The scenes, broadcast by a current affairs program in the Netherlands, showed the strict application of post-Brexit import rules after Britain concluded its separation from the European Union on December 31 and new agreements for travel, trade, immigration and cooperation security measures took effect.
“Welcome to Brexit, sir,” says one of the customs officials to the truck driver, laughing. “Can you take the meat and leave me the bread?” the driver begs uselessly. “I’m sorry,” replies the officer.
The European Union does not allow travelers from other countries to bring fruits, vegetables, meat or dairy products, even for personal consumption. And now, these external countries include Britain.
“We are simply enforcing regulations. As of January 1, it is no longer permitted to bring perishable goods from the UK to travelers, ”said Bob van ‘t Klooster, a spokesman for Dutch customs. He insisted that this was not nitpicking.
“We have the same regulations for people who come from the UK to Amsterdam airport.”
Because of the pandemic, the effects of the separation have not yet been fully felt. There is still relatively little traffic between Britain and continental Europe.
But the Dutch news program “EenVandaag” accompanied a team of customs officials working in the port of Hoek van Holland as nearly 100 passengers disembarked after an almost seven-hour ferry ride from the port of Harwich, England.
The program cites Rien de Ruijter, leader of the local customs team, who said that while the volume of travelers is now low, he expects waiting times and frustration to increase when travel restrictions are lifted.
“Customs policies have changed,” he said, “but that is not being communicated in England.”
In another scene on the program, a customs officer seizes a can of sardines, claiming that fish is not allowed. But it turns out that the official himself was not fully familiar with the new regulations: travelers can bring a total of 20 kilograms, about 44 pounds, of fish to the EU
“It’s not 20 kilos”, concludes another employee, looking at the can.
“I don’t think anyone in the UK expected this. But this is Brexit, ”said De Ruijter. “This is the new reality that we have to deal with”.