Fans of some of the most popular cheeses made in Italy and France could be left disappointed after imports to the UK were banned.
There’s been an outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in both European countries, which means the UK government has banned certain types of cheese from being imported.
Cases of the viral disease have been reported on the Italian island of Sardinia as well as in south east France in recent weeks.
To try and prevent the disease spreading to the UK, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has halted the importation of unpasteurised dairy products produced any time after May 23.
While pasteurised cheeses such as pecorino romano from Italy can still make it into the UK (as long as the cheese’s treatment processes are up to scratch), some of the most popular unpasteurised cheeses are currently banned.
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Upmarket cheesemongers say this has caused their supplies of products like mozzarella, fresh goat’s cheese and brie to run low – and the situation will continue to worsen as new products are slow to arrive.
Patricia Michelson, founder of artisan cheese distributor La Fromagerie based in Marylebone, said she is losing thousands of pounds worth of stock which is spoiling at the border.
She told The Times: ‘Every week our lorries are getting delayed. Even though they’re chilled, it’s not in the right environment and things come in and have to be binned.
Lumpy skin disease in cattle
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease which causes fever and reduced milk production in cows and water buffalo.
The disease causes the cattle to develop skin nodules and lesions, as well as producing discharge from the eyes and nose.
Cattle catch the disease through insect bites, but while humans cannot be affected by LSD, it’s a notifiable disease because of its potential impact on animal health.
The disease was first found in Zambia in the 1920s, and since then it has spread across Africa, with Morocco the only African country to have never recorded cases of it.
In the mid-2010s the illness entered mainland Europe through Greece, the Balkans and Russia.
‘We can’t charge the producer, it’s not their fault, they sent it all in perfect condition, it’s what happens when it’s stuck at the port.
‘At the moment, we can’t supply all the lovely, soft cow’s milk cheeses like Camembert and brie.
‘If people think that they can get what they want now, they won’t, because everywhere will be slowly running out of stock.
‘From Monday we will only be able to offer an English brie-style cheese.’
La Fromagerie supplies more than 100 restaurants, including Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Chelsea and triple Michelin starred Core.
But Patricia says it has just sent out the last of its stock of French brie, and supplies of other fine cheese are in a ‘precarious position’.
A Defra spokesperson said: ‘This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers and their herds from disease.
‘We have strengthened protections by temporarily suspending imports of a small amount of products from Italy and France, following outbreaks of lumpy skin disease across Europe.
‘Unpasteurised cheeses are restricted, but as most Italian cheeses, such as parmesan, mozzarella, and gorgonzola, are pasteurised this should not have a significant impact on supply chains.’
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