Taking a delicious sausage or a tasty cheese from your vacation in a non-EU country to the European Union is not a good idea at all. In many cases, the local customs "collects" the goods and sends them for destruction. At least there is often only an oral admonition, but no punishment.

The background to this measure is simple: In order to avoid diseases and epidemics, the import of food, especially of animal origin, is subject to strict regulations. These are the same throughout the Schengen area, although there are selective national tightening. Specifically, this means that you have to find out in advance via the homepage of the respective customs office whether you are allowed to import the desired food into your home country. If you do not come to a clear result after reading the customs information on the Internet, you should not hesitate under any circumstances and call the hotlines that are visible or obtain information from the customs office responsible for the home import. The officials are usually very helpful and good information from the correct official body can save a lot of trouble and possibly even money when you return from vacation. It would be a shame if the good food had to be destroyed and in extreme cases you would even have to pay a fine for an import violation.

Customs collected 18,5 tons of food this year

That is not by the hair, because the Austrian Ministry of Finance announced that customs had to collect around 2021 tons of food in the first half of 18,5 alone. In the whole of the previous year it was “only” 13,6 tons that had to be destroyed.

Since the beginning of 2021, 1.250 tons of illegally imported meat and meat products and 12,9 kilograms of fish and fishery products have been confiscated from 334 successful customs controls across Austria. Other animal products such as 4,5 tons of milk and milk products, 216 kilograms of eggs and 583 kilograms of honey were also confiscated and destroyed. 57 percent of these were seized during mobile controls of customs officers in road traffic, the remaining seizures took place during import controls in tourist traffic, primarily through customs offices at airports. In the passenger clearance at the customs office at Vienna Schwechat Airport alone, around 3 tonnes of animal products were confiscated last year and more than 2,2 tonnes this year in accordance with the Animal Disease Act, although the number of travelers is severely limited due to the pandemic. The customs officers at the Linz Airport customs office managed a record-breaking major attack in March 2021: They pulled an apparently overloaded Moldovan Mercedes Sprinter from traffic on the A25 and seized 902 kilograms of pork and chicken, among other things

Prevent the introduction of animal diseases into Austria and the EU

Animal food is subject to strict controls by the veterinary authorities to prevent dangerous animal diseases from being introduced. The economic effects of an animal disease outbreak in Austria would be catastrophic for the agricultural sector as well as for upstream and downstream economic sectors: emergency slaughter, trade restrictions and export losses would be the inevitable consequences.

Meat and meat products as well as milk and milk products from almost all non-EU countries may not be imported into the European Union at all when traveling. Other animal products are subject to strict import restrictions, according to which only a small amount is permitted per person.

Customs tip: Do not import any food from private, uncontrolled production

Customs generally advise against importing food from private, uncontrolled production and domestic slaughter. With regard to African swine fever, self-produced meat products from outbreak areas pose a particularly high risk. Even the careless throwing away of leftover snacks, as happens, for example, at motorway parking lots near transit routes to and from the affected Eastern European areas, can have massive consequences. The transmission of African swine fever occurs, for example, through direct contact with infected animals, through the ingestion of food waste or pork products or preparations, and through other indirect transmission routes.

Where can I find official information from the authorities?

Here, under this link on the homepage of the Austrian Ministry of Financewho is responsible for customs.