Animal Plant Health Agency
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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.
Foot and mouth disease (FMD)
Commercial trade
Outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) have been reported in:
- Germany on 10 January 2025
- Hungary on 7 March 2025 (with an additional outbreak reported near the Austrian border on 26 March 2025)
- Slovakia on 21 March 2025
This means that there are restrictions in place on the import of the following commodities from Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and parts of Germany:
- live (including non-domestic) ruminant and porcine animals, including wild game, and their germplasm
- fresh meat from ruminant and porcine animals (including chilled and frozen)
- meat products from ruminant and porcine animals that have not been subject to specific treatment D1, D, C or B (including wild game)
- milk, colostrum and their products, unless subjected to treatment as defined in Article 4 of Regulation 2010/605
- certain animal by-products
- hay and straw
The restrictions on the import of these commodities apply to the entire territories of Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.
Following an assessment, Great Britain has now recognised regionalisation for FMD in Germany at the level of the containment zone. The containment zone extends to 6 kilometres (km) around the outbreak and is defined in the relevant third country lists and safeguard declarations. This means that the export of affected commodities can resume from the areas outside of the containment zone in Germany to Great Britain provided all other import conditions are met, including that certificates can be signed. These restrictions will apply until further notice.
Restrictions are set out in the relevant lists of EU and EFTA countries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain and in the following safeguard declarations.
Declaration of special measures: hay and straw and certain animal by-products
For hay and straw and certain animal by-products, 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), the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretaryfor ClimateChangeand Rural Affairs (Wales) and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands (Scotland).
Read the:
The special measures for Austria, Hungary and Slovakia apply from 28 March 2025, until revoked or amended. The special measures for Germany apply from 25 March 2025, until revoked or amended.
Declaration of special measures: importation of untreated wool and hair of susceptible animals for certain third countries and territories
Imports of untreated wool and hair of species susceptible to FMD (except porcines) are only permitted from countries or zones that are recognised as free of FMD by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Imports must also be accompanied by:
- a commercial document, or importer declaration (if applicable)
- the health certificate provided in the safeguard declaration (only applicable to countries with FMD that are exporting from FMD-free zones)
Safeguard declarations 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 Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs (Wales).