Guidance
Official veterinary surgeon (OVS) notes
Changes to import controls for animals and products of animal origin.
- From:
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
- Published
- 4 March 2025
- Last updated
- 7 March 2025 — See all updates
Documents
20 February 2025: Change in the border target operating model (BTOM) risk category
Ref: OVS note 2025/18
HTML
17 February 2025: Implementation period for GBHC620 and GBHC621 and quarterly certificate update
Ref: OVS note 2025/16
HTML
13 February 2025: Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Bosnia and Herzegovina (OVS note 2025/15)
PDF, 136 KB, 2 pages
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7 February 2025: Changes to management of approved country lists for imports of animal by-products and certain products of animal origin (OVS note 2025/14)
PDF, 99.3 KB, 3 pages
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6 February 2025: Restrictions on animal by-products following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Germany (OVS note 2025/13)
PDF, 156 KB, 6 pages
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3 February 2025: personal import restrictions on certain sheep and goat commodities from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland due to outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) (OVS note 2025/12)
PDF, 35.4 KB, 2 pages
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3 February 2025: Outbreak of peste des petits ruminants in Hungary (OVS note 2025/11)
PDF, 83.3 KB, 2 pages
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29 January 2025: Outbreak of peste des petits ruminants in Hungary (OVS note 2025/10)
PDF, 130 KB, 2 pages
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30 January 2025: Foot and mouth disease in Germany – risk mitigating treatments for meat and dairy products (OVS note 2025/09)
PDF, 141 KB, 4 pages
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29 January 2025: Insertion of closing dates in Germany's entry in the 'fresh meat of ungulates' list following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Germany (OVS note 2025/08)
PDF, 131 KB, 2 pages
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17 January 2025: Imports of animal casings – review of rules/import conditions (OVS note 2025/06)
PDF, 128 KB, 3 pages
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17 January 2025: Imports of untreated wool and hair – review of rules/import conditions (OVS note 2025/05)
PDF, 165 KB, 5 pages
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16 January 2025: Personal imports of products from FMD susceptible animals from certain third countries and territories (OVS note 2025/04)
PDF, 89.9 KB, 3 pages
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14 January 2025: Changes to imports of display items and non-harmonised ABP from EU and EFTA member states, and update on import of research and diagnostic samples from Germany, following confirmation of FMD in Germany (OVS note 2025/03)
PDF, 170 KB, 2 pages
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14 January 2025: Outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Germany (OVS note 2025/02)
PDF, 136 KB, 3 pages
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6 January 2025: General import authorisations and licences for animal by-products (OVS note 2025/01)
PDF, 184 KB, 2 pages
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18 December 2024: Outbreak of peste des petits ruminants in Bulgaria (OVS note 2024/60)
PDF, 47.6 KB, 3 pages
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13 December 2024: Import authorisations for imports of animal by-products from the EU and EFTA member states from 1 February 2025 (OVS note 2024/59)
PDF, 150 KB, 2 pages
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12 December 2024: Outbreak of peste des petits ruminants Bulgaria (OVS note 2024/58)
PDF, 89.8 KB, 2 pages
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5 December 2024: Outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in New Zealand (OVS note 2024/57)
PDF, 83.1 KB, 2 pages
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3 December 2024: Outbreak of peste des petits ruminants in Bulgaria (OVS note 2024/56)
PDF, 34.8 KB, 2 pages
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4 December 2024: Outbreak of lumpy skin disease in Japan (OVS note 2024/55)
PDF, 94.5 KB, 3 pages
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4 December 2024: Guidance for completion of certificates: GBHC352 for meat products; and GBHC330 for fresh poultry meat (OVS note 2024/54)
PDF, 305 KB, 7 pages
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2 December 2024: Outbreak of bluetongue in Poland (OVS note 2024/53)
PDF, 80.5 KB, 2 pages
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26 November 2024: Outbreak of bluetongue virus in Poland (OVS note 2024/52)
PDF, 79.1 KB, 2 pages
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13 November 2024: Outbreak of lumpy skin disease in Japan (OVS note 2024/51)
PDF, 87.4 KB, 2 pages
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13 November 2024: Check rates for medium risk animal by-products imported using general or specific import authorisations (OVS note 2024/50)
PDF, 156 KB, 2 pages
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13 November 2024: Import of organic fertilisers and soil improvers (OVS note 2024/49)
PDF, 142 KB, 1 page
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12 November 2024: Import of trade samples (animal by-products) (OVS note 2024/48)
PDF, 141 KB, 1 page
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31 October 2024: Outbreak of small hive beetle in Sicily, Italy (OVS note 2024/47)
PDF, 41.9 KB, 2 pages
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30 October 2024: Changes to treatment requirements for imports of porcine meat products from areas of European Union Member States with outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boar (OVS note 2024/46)
PDF, 124 KB, 2 pages
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17 October 2024: US highly pathogenic avian influenza regionalisation (OVS note 2024/45)
PDF, 200 KB, 6 pages
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10 October 2024: Guidance for completion of certificates: GBHC352 for meat products; and GBHC330 for fresh poultry meat (OVS note 2024/44)
PDF, 290 KB, 5 pages
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26 September 2024: Increased restrictions on personal imports of pork and pork products from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland to Great Britain (GB) due to African Swine Fever (ASF) (OVS note 2024/43)
PDF, 40.7 KB, 2 pages
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17 September 2024: Outbreak of bluetongue in Austria (OVS note 2024/42)
PDF, 78.4 KB, 2 pages
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17 September 2024: Import of former foodstuffs directly to pet food manufacturers (OVS note 2024/41)
PDF, 141 KB, 2 pages
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16 September 2024: Outbreak of bluetongue in Austria (OVS note 2024/40)
PDF, 79.9 KB, 2 pages
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11 September 2024: Outbreak of bluetongue in Czechia and Norway (OVS note 2024/39)
PDF, 80.6 KB, 2 pages
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10 September 2024: Outbreak of sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria (OVS note 2024/38)
PDF, 100 KB, 2 pages
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9 September 2024: Outbreak of bluetongue virus in Czechia and Norway (OVS note 2024/37)
PDF, 32.3 KB, 2 pages
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5 September 2024: Outbreak of sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria (OVS note 2024/36)
PDF, 78.4 KB, 2 pages
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Details
Official veterinary surgeon notes (OVS notes) contain details of changes to import controls for animals and products of animal origin.
You can set up email alerts for OVS notes by clicking the ‘Get emails about this page’ link at the top of the page.
Older OVS notes are available on the National Archives.
Updates to this page
Published 4 March 2025Last updated 7 March 2025 + show all updates
-
Added the personal imports of products from FMD-susceptible animals from certain third countries and territories OVS note (2025/20).
-
Added the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Hungary OVS note (OVS note 2025/19).
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First published.