Statutory guidance

Bluetongue requirements for imports or transits from the EU Import Information Note (BTEU/1)

Published 2 December 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bluetongue-requirements-for-imports-or-transits-iin-bteu1/bluetongue-requirements-for-imports-or-transits-from-the-eu-import-information-note-bteu1

1. Important information 

Import Information Notes (IINs) are technical documents containing import requirements and are for use by importers and border officials.

Please be aware that import conditions may be updated due to changes in policy or legislation. Please ensure that you check the current version of the IIN as well as the IIN specific to your commodity.

Importers should note that the information given relates only to animal health and public health conditions of import. It does not give guidance on other conditions that may need to be met.

References to European Union (EU) legislation within this document are references to direct EU Legislation which has been assimilated in Great Britain (assimilated direct legislation), as defined in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 and can be viewed on the United Kingdom (UK) legislation website.

Any links to legislation provided in this document are for information purposes only and may not be the most recent version.

References to imports into Great Britain (GB) in any IIN also include imports into the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. References to trading partners include non-EU, EU, and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.

The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is the new approach to importing into GB that will be progressively introduced from the end of January 2024. 

2. Scope 

Conditions for the import  of  ruminants excluding wild ruminants and camelids and their genetic material due to bluetongue (BT) control measures in the EU.

3. Imports from third countries or zones free of bluetongue 

On 5 July 2011 GB was declared free from bluetongue but restriction zones for bluetongue remain in place in other EU Member States. 

Find information on the current bluetongue situation in the EU, including information regarding restriction zones.

Import of ruminant species from third countries or zones that are free of bluetongue to GB must at least have been free for 24 months from bluetongue, and the animals have reacted negatively to a serological test for the detection of antibodies for bluetongue, carried out on 2 occasions on samples of blood taken at the beginning of the isolation or quarantine period and at least 28 days later, the second of which must have been taken within 10 days before export. 

More information about health certificate requirements 

If susceptible animals transit an EU Member State or zone that is not free, then the conditions set out in Section 4 and Appendix 1 to this IIN apply. Essentially, insecticide treatment is required and this needs to be certified; if the animals are rested for more than a day in the restricted EU Member State or zone, the control post must be vector protected. 

4. Imports from third countries or zones not free of bluetongue 

Animals transiting bluetongue-affected third countries 

Where imported consignments originate and/or transit through a bluetongue-restricted area in the EU, the vehicle in which the animals are transported must be treated with authorised insecticides and/or insect repellents. This treatment must take place prior to leaving or entering the restricted area.  

When a rest period of more than one day is foreseen at a control post during the movement through a restricted zone, the animals must be protected against attacks by vectors in a GB-approved vector protected establishment. 

In addition to the health certificate, consignments must be accompanied by a Bluetongue declaration signed by an Official Veterinarian (OV) of the animals as per the model declaration guidelines, or see Appendix 1 for further information. 

Genetic material

For genetic material the conditions are set out in Appendix 2 to this IIN. 

5. EFTA countries and Greenland 

The UK government recognises that Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein implement EU veterinary legislation in relation to the import of animals and animal products. 

Therefore, animals and animal products from Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein must comply with the same requirements and controls applying to live animals and animal products from EU Member States. This also applies to Iceland for products of animal origin for human consumption, composite products and aquaculture.

Furthermore, in relation to imports from Faroe Islands this also applies to fishery products and aquaculture only. In relation to imports from Greenland this applies to fishery products and fish by-products only too. 

6. Post-import testing 

Post-import testing will be on a risk-based regime, as for other diseases. 

7. Safeguard measures 

Emergency safeguard action can be taken at very short notice to prohibit or restrict the importation of certain animals or products from certain countries following an outbreak of disease or a public health issue. 

Find information on the latest updates concerning disease outbreaks which may affect imports into the UK.

Further information on the international and UK monitoring of animal diseases may be found on the animal disease monitoring website. 

Importers can get the latest news about exotic notifiable disease outbreaks from the APHA exotic notifiable disease outbreak subscription service. 

8. Legislation.gov.uk  

Consolidated legal texts, which integrate the basic instruments of assimilated EU legislation with their amendments and corrections in a single, non-official document, are available. Each consolidated text contains a list of all legal documents taken into account for its construction.  

You can search for consolidated texts by inputting the ‘document number’ and ‘year’ and then clicking the option ‘All UK Legislation (including originating from the EU)’ on legislation.gov.uk.  

Once you press ‘search’, you can find the relevant legislation listed with the full title of the legislation. Once you have selected the legislation, you may see the following message at the top of the page:

“Changes to legislation: There are outstanding changes not yet made to XXX. Those changes will be listed when you open the content using the Table of Contents below. Any changes that have already been made to the legislation appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.”

Please note that the consolidated text may not contain the latest amendment to the legislation, as it takes several weeks for this to be updated. EU Exit amendments to legislation may take several months too. We advise to read the legislation alongside the EU Exit amendments made in the below UK laws:

Texts provided in this section are intended for information only. Please note that these texts have no legal value. For legal purposes please refer to the texts published in legislation.gov.uk. 

Further information on changes in relation to EU legislation and UK law can be found on legislation.gov.uk. Please continue to use legislation.gov.uk to find EU retained law applicable to GB. Please avoid using the EU Commission website for information on imports into GB. 

9. Contact for further information on import requirements 

For more information about import requirements, contact the APHA imports team:

Centre for International Trade - Carlisle
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DX

Email: imports@apha.gov.uk

Telephone: 03000 200 301  

Appendix 1  

Article 9 of Commission Regulation (EC) 1266/2007 says that:

1 The transit of animals shall be allowed by the competent authority provided that:  

a) After adequate cleansing and disinfection at the place of loading, the means in which the animals are transported are treated with authorised insecticide and/or repellents. This treatment must in any case take place prior to leaving or entering the restricted zone;  

b) When a rest period of more than one day is foreseen at a control post during the movement through a restricted zone, the animals are protected against attacks by vectors in a vector protected establishment in accordance with the criteria in Annex II of Regulation (EC) 1266/2007.  

3 For the animals referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, they must be accompanied by a declaration confirming insecticide or repellent treatment was applied. The model declaration is on gov.uk.  

Appendix 2 

Annex III of Commission Regulation (EC) 1266/2007 says that:

B. Semen of animals  

Semen must have been obtained from donor animals which comply with at least one of the following conditions: 

a) they have been kept outside a restricted zone for a period of at least 60 days before commencement of, and during, collection of the semen; 

d) they have been subjected to a serological test according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH - formerly OIE) Terrestrial Manual to detect antibodies to the bluetongue virus group, with negative results, at least every 60 days during the collection period and between 21 and 60 days following the final collection of the semen to be consigned; 

e) they have been subjected, with negative results, to an agent identification test according to the WOAH Terrestrial Manual carried out on blood samples collected:

      (i) at commencement and final collection of the semen to be consigned

and 

      (ii) during the period of semen collection - at least every 7 days, in the case of a virus isolation test, or at least every 28 days, in the case of a polymerase chain reaction test 

C.   Ova and embryos of animals  

1 In vivo derived embryos and ova of bovine animals must have been obtained from donor animals which do not show any clinical signs of bluetongue on the day of collection. 

2 Embryos and ova of animals other than bovine animals and in vitro produced bovine embryos must have been obtained from donor animals which comply with at least one of the following conditions: 

      a) they have been kept outside a restricted zone for at least 60 days before commencement of, and during, collection of the embryos or ova

      c) they have been subjected to a serological test according to the WOAH Terrestrial Manual to detect antibodies to the bluetongue virus group, between 21 and 60 days following collection of the embryos or ova, with negative results 

      d) they have been subjected to an agent identification test according to the WOAH Terrestrial Manual on a blood sample taken on the day of collection of the embryos or ova, with negative results

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