British tourists have been banned from bringing meat and cheese back from Europe to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
UK travellers returning from EU nations will not be able to carry pork, beef, lamb, mutton, venison, goat or dairy products.
It means Easter holidaymakers will be prevented from taking wedges of French brie or German sausage home with them.
The restrictions imposed by the UK Government on Wednesday apply regardless of whether the goods are bought from duty free or securely packaged.
Full list of banned foods
• Pork
• Beef
• Lamb
• Mutton
• Goat
• Venison
• Milk and dairy products such as butter and cheese
Those who attempt to ship banned European goods into Britain will be seized and destroyed by the UK Border Force, and in "serious cases" could be fined up to £5,000.
However, Britons can bring up to 2kg of powdered milk, baby food or sustenance needed for medical reasons.
“If you’re travelling over Easter weekend, check what you can and can’t bring back before you go,” the UK Government posted on its official X account.
Officials say the drastic measures have been introduced “to protect farmers from the spread of foot and mouth disease” amid rising cases on the continent.
This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers
Daniel Zeichner
Farming minister Daniel Zeichner said: “We are further strengthening protections by introducing restrictions on personal meat and dairy imports to prevent the spread of the disease and protect Britain’s food security.”
Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers Union, praised the "quick" response from ministers.
Mr Bradshaw called for "a comprehensive cross-government biosecurity plan with the necessary investment behind it, and which would place these restrictions on a permanent legislative footing".
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs.
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It is characterised by fever and blisters, primarily on the feet, mouth and tongue, and may leave some animals permanently lame or with reduced productivity.
There are currently no cases in the UK, with the last recorded outbreak occurring in 2001 when more than six million pigs, cattle and sheep were slaughtered.
The Port of Dover expects to process around 5,000 cars embarking on outbound ferry sailings between 6am and 1pm on Good Friday.
Meanwhile, aviation analytics firm Cirium said more than 11,000 flights are scheduled to depart from UK airports across the Easter weekend.