Originally Posted by
Gash
I always wonder about when one of the questions on the form is whether you have been anywhere rural (farms, etc) - like most of Britain! and it is summer so there are always summer fetes and garden shows...all because of mad cow's disease (still used as a reason you cannot give blood in US)!
The issues with farms predates mad cow and is intended to prevent transmission of all manner of diseases. Hoof and mouth is particularly feared. Then there is the issue of invasive species. You are crossing an ocean and all that. These questions may be a PITA, but they aren't as ridiculous as some make them out to be.
FWIW, similar concerns mean that you have to go through agricultural screening when flying from mainland US to Hawaii.