Originally Posted by
BearX220
Confession: I have hiked country lanes and farm fields / barnyards in the UK and not copped to it on the landing card. I have always assumed the hassle factor would be enormous.
Much less enormous than the hassle factor to the agriculture industry from the foreign pathogens potentially introduced via your un-sanitized shoes.*
I've had my shoes disinfected in ORD and IAH after trips involving extensive amounts of time around farms in east Africa and South America. In each case the process was quick (5 minutes or less) and respectful. I'd much rather take my shoes off to help prevent the spread of disease (a real threat) than because of the TSA shoe carnival.
*And yes, I realize the chances of you, specifically, spreading mayhem are relatively small.