Why can I bring meat and milk on planes if travelling from certain European countries?

Factual Questions
1

Specifically “Croatia, the Faeroe Islands, Greenland, or Iceland.”

SAS
Food Safety authority of Ireland

I mean, I understand why it might be prohibited in the majority of the EU? And I might say it’s some odd Northwestern Nordic thing, except Croatia is a rather strange outlier. What would make this meat and milk safer or exempt when compared to the rest of the EU and some non-EU countries.

Also, 10 kg! That’s a lot of Croatian snails.

2

I have no idea about this specific case, but I know that the US prohibits travelers for bringing in meat products from Europe for fear of Hoof-and-Mouth disease. Maybe this has something to do with it?

3

I think you are asking the wrong way round - it’s not “why can I bring <certain food> into <country X>” but rather “why can’t I bring <certain food> into country Y?”

It usually starts out with being allowed to bring everything except …

tobacco and alcohol over certain amounts: because of stiff tariffs / tax on them varying wildly

wild animals and certain souvenirs: protected animals on the Red List

pirated copies: to protect customers safety and manufacturers

money over a certain amount: to prevent illegal business

certain foods: because of diseases that could be transported.

That’s also why the ban is on fresh fruit, but not canned fruits; fresh meat, but not tinned meat etc.

Different countries have different restrictions because of different dangers. If country X knows that foot and mouth is a problem in country Y and could become also a threat to the cattle industry in X, they will forbid meat from Y, but might allow meat from country W who has no foot and mouth problem. But country Z with no cattle industry will allow meat generally.

Country U may have no restriction because they are not yet aware of the potential dangers, and later implement restrictions.

4

From your first link:

So you can bring as much as you can want from those countries, but you are limited to 10kg from Croatia, the Faeroe Islands, Greenland or Iceland (not members of EU, though Iceland and Croatia are candidate countries). From other countries, you are not allowed to bring any meat or milk without special permission.