Animal Plant Health Agency
This page provides details on particular issues or changes that importers and exporters may need to be aware of.
You can view all of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defras) guidance and forms for:
Defras animal disease monitoring collection covers major, notifiable or new and emerging animal disease outbreaks internationally and in the UK.
Sheep pox and goat pox outbreak in Bulgaria
Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) has temporarily suspended the imports of the following ovine and caprine commodities from Bulgaria:
- live animals
- germplasm
- fresh or chilled skins and hides
This follows an outbreak of sheep pox and goat pox that was confirmed on 4 September 2024. Bulgaria has now lost its status as free from sheep pox and goat pox as a result of this outbreak.
Read the live ungulates, ovine and caprine ova and embryos and ovine and caprine semen lists ofEUandEFTAcountries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain.
For restrictions on fresh or chilled skins and hides, the safeguard declarations below give effect to this decision. These are published on behalf of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (England), the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands (Scotland) and Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd (Wales).
These special measures apply from 12 September 2024 until they are revoked or amended.
Peste des petits ruminants import restrictions: European Union
Individuals can only bring certain sheep and goat products from the EU, EFTA states, the Faroe Islands and Greenland into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) for personal consumption. The products must:
- have been produced and packaged tocommercial standards
- bear an identification or health mark or commercial labelling if they are animal by-products (ABP)
This applies to sheep and goat:
- milk and milk products
- meat and meat products
Individuals cannot bring any sheep or goat milk and milk products from Greece or Romania into Great Britain for personal consumption.
These products pose a risk to animal health in Great Britain due to the spread of peste des petits ruminants in Europe.
The following safeguard measures give effect to this decision. These are published on behalf of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (England) and the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, Trefnydd (Wales) and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands (Scotland).
Read the:
These special measures apply until they are revoked or amended.
Peste des petits ruminants import restrictions: Romania
Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) has temporarily suspended the import of the following sheep and goat commodities from Romania:
- live animals
- germplasm
- raw milk and milk products
- untreated wool and hair
- fresh or chilled (untreated) skins and hides
This is due to an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants that was confirmed on 19 July 2024.
For more information, read the following lists of?EU?andEFTAcountries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain:
- live ungulates
- ovine and caprine ova and embryos
- ovine and caprine semen
- milk and milk products
For restrictions on untreated wool and hair and on fresh or chilled (untreated) skins and hides, the following safeguard declarations give effect to this decision. They are published on behalf of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (England), Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd (Wales), and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands (Scotland).
Read the: