Travelers from Europe will be able to bring raw meat and eggs with them when they come to Iceland in 2 years time. Iceland is set to join the European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) which allows the free transportation of meat and eggs between member countries.
Current legislation in Iceland prohibits uncooked meat products from entering the country. One of the most controversial rulings is the prohibition on salami, which many argue is not a raw meat product.
The restrictions, coupled with the high price of meat products in Iceland, have led to a rise in meat smuggling. The assistant director at Sudurnes customs, which incorporates Keflavik Airport, said that the department had already confiscated around five tons of meat products in 2007, of which 1.7 tons was salami.
Meat smuggling has been a growing problem for customs officials in Iceland. In 2005, they confiscated only 1.8 tons of illegal meat, whereas in 2006 the figure grew to 5.4 tons.
Unfortunately the new regulations will not come into practice for another two years. When they do, customs officials say that unlimited meat transportation will be prohibited. Passengers will be only permitted to have a maximum of three kilos of food in their luggage, including confectionary.