I’m a traveller
Why is biosecurity important for you?
Travellers play an important role in biosecurity when they introduce products of animal origin or pets into the EU.Bringing personal consignments of meat and dairy products into the EU continue to present a real threat to animal health. It is known, for example, that dangerous pathogens that cause animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease and classical swine fever can reside in meat and dairy products. Hence pathogens could be introduced into the EU if meat and dairy products are imported from non-EU countries where such pathogens may be circulating.
In some non-EU countries, diseases like rabies may be present. Rabies is a disease that can be fatal if it is not prevented with prompt treatment and is always fatal when clinical signs appear. The disease typically spreads to humans from animals through a scratch or a bite. In fact cases of rabies in the EU mainly affect animals that came from non-EU countries where an urban type of rabies is endemic. So if you import a dog or cat, for example, from such a country – without following the correct procedures – you risk importing such diseases into the EU and putting yourself, your friends or relatives at risk.
It is for these reasons that the EU has strict rules on what and how you – as a traveller – can bring in regarding products of animal origin, or live animals. These rules enable you to play a crucial role in preventing the entry and spread of disease in the EU.