Brexit leaves Britons sandwich short

AMSTERDAM: Britons arriving in the Netherlands since the start of the year have found that leaving the European Union might have cost them more than they realised — including their lunch.

Ferry passengers have had ham sandwiches and tinned sardines confiscated by customs officials at Dutch ports, due to strict rules on the import of meat, fruit, vegetables and fish from outside the EU.

‘‘Do you have meat on all the bread?’’ a Dutch customs officer asks a man who has just arrived in the port of Hook of Holland, holding his wrapped sandwich.

‘‘Yeah? OK, then we take them all, I’m sorry. Welcome to the Brexit, sir.’’

Travel from the UK to the Netherlands has been limited in the first two weeks of 2021 due to Covid19, but the Dutch customs office expected friction to increase as numbers of travellers rose.

‘‘If the Covid measures are eased, we will certainly see the number of passengers rise, and that could very well lead to more irritation’’, customs team leader Rien de Ruijter said.