Originally Posted by
djp98374
please cite actual reg.
I’ve crossed USA/ Canada border numerous times over 50 years nd these were the rules we were told about what can and can’t br brought over the border.
sure you can lie/ hide things and smuggle…..
I used to do this for a living
9 CFR 94.16
a) The following milk products are exempt from the provisions of this part:
(1) Cheese, but not including cheese with liquid and not including cheese containing any item that is regulated by other sections of this part, unless such item is independently eligible for importation into the United States under this part;
You can also go on the APHIS website and look up the import conditions for cheese from $country and it'll give you a form letter with the exact text I pasted earlier (because that's how I got it)
Originally Posted by
bocastephen
But everything I've ready about FMD and swine fever state it cannot be contracted by people eating infected meat or meat products - so is the risk the transmission to living livestock, and not people? I still find it hard to believe that someone bringing in link sausage, or in my case, packaged Japanese curry with cooked meat, is going to feed those products to living livestock - it would almost be a deliberate act of sabotage, yet the human risk for Joe and Joan Smith serving it at a dinner party is non-existent.
Not arguing, I am genuinely curious. For example, I wanted to import Japanese shell eggs because of their unique yolk color, texture and flavor, but found out that only shell eggs from the Netherlands of all places, are admissible.
I remember encountering one inspector at SFO who had memorized every single snack and food dish from virtually every country in the world - he stood at the final inspection point before the exit, and would figure out where someone had arrived from, then read through his memorized list asking if they were carrying any of those items - it was rather entertaining until my other half had their bag dumped.
The risk is transmission to livestock--humans can't get FMD, ASF, etc. The risk is very, very low but not zero, so Uncle Sam bans those products out of an abundance of caution because the U.S. has been free of so many of these diseases for so long. North America isn't an island like Australia, but the U.S. and Canada have done a very good job at keeping all sorts of nasty things out. Mexico hasn't done quite as well but has still been very successful.
I never worked at SFO but every airport had that guy who knew that XYZ brand of packaged snack was beef or that Frisian Flag condensed milk isn't always made in the Netherlands.