A letter to The Irish Times 27/12/2011

 

A sticky encounter at the airport

·                                 Sir, – One of Britain’s finest food and drink writers has had three pots of Irish homemade jam confiscated from him at Dublin airport by the anti-terrorism police.

James Crowden, who has won the Andre Simon Food Award for his book Ciderland, had been invited by Bord Bia to address a meeting of apple-growers and cider-makers in Drogheda about the history of Irish cider and the future for artisan cider-making.

The next day he went to Granard, the birthplace of his great, great, great, grandfather, Dennis Crowden. And in the Greville Arms, where a peat fire was burning nicely, he purchased three jars of homemade jam from a man called Alan who had just finished his stint at the Granard Country Markets. James bought three jars of jam (apricot, plum and blackberry), from him. Each had a traceable number. The value of the jam was €2.50 a jar, having local discount for buying in bulk.

These three jars of jam were to be a Christmas present to James’s father who is housebound in Somerset, England but still makes excellent jam. A small Christmas present from Granard and Co Longford.

Three hours later while boarding his flight back to Bristol EI3286 – on December 16th James Crowden was stopped by customs and anti-terrorism police at Dublin airport Terminal 1. His hand luggage was searched and the three jars of jam were confiscated. He was given no reason other than that they were in the wrong shaped jar. The jar should have been 100ml. The jam was not tested and neither was a receipt given for the jam. The jam was perfectly solid and was not a liquid.

We are calling on the authorities to give a full explanation for their actions and return the jam to its rightful owner via the good office of the solicitors Pol O’Murchu.

It seems ironic that Mr Crowden, who was invited over by Bord Bia to give advice on how to boost the Irish rural economy should be penalised in this way. These regulations obviously have a detrimental effect not only on the growth of Irish rural industry and country markets, but Irish tourism as well. Two vital ingredients to Ireland’s recovery.

In the UK, specially-trained dogs, usually spaniels, are used to sniff out explosives. Why not employ specially trained Irish dogs to sniff out homemade country market jam? That way customs would have an easy test and save lost of time and embarrassment.

What Mr Crowden wants to know is what did they do with the three jars of jam? Did they destroy them with a controlled explosion? Put them in a landfill site? Incinerate them? Or take them home and eat the jam themselves? The Irish nation needs answers. – Is mise,

PÓL Ó MURCHÚ,

Aturnaetha,

Cé Urmhumhan Uachtarach,

Baile Átha Cliath 7.

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