Guidance

11 April 2025: controls on personal imports from the EU single market area of meat and dairy products from FMD-susceptible animals

Updated 11 April 2025

Purpose 

To inform you that additional measures are coming into force to control personal imports of commodities susceptible to foot and mouth disease (FMD) from the EU single market area into Great Britain.

Background 

Germany notified WOAH of an outbreak of FMD on 10 January 2025.

Outbreaks of FMD have also been reported in Hungary and Slovakia. 

Personal imports from the EU single market area of unpackaged products (fresh meat, meat products, dairy or dairy products, colostrum and colostrum products) from FMD-susceptible animals were suspended via TARP safeguard declarations following the Germany outbreak (OVS note 2025/04).  

This declaration also suspended commercially produced and packaged products from Germany originating from FMD-susceptible animals.

This was extended on 7 March 2025 to suspend personal imports of the same products from Hungary and Slovakia (OVS note 2025/20) and extended again on 27 March 2025 to suspend personal imports of the same products from Austria (following an outbreak of FMD in Hungary on the border with Austria (OVS note 2025/24)).  

Having assessed the risk associated with the spread of FMD in Europe, these declarations are subject to further update to suspend personal imports of the same products from the entire European Economic Area (EEA), the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Switzerland.   

This means that no products of FMD susceptible animals can be imported from the EU single market area (EEA states, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Switzerland) into Great Britain as personal imports, whether unpackaged or commercially produced and packaged.

Published TARP safeguard declarations for England and Wales give effect to this decision, with a TARP safeguard declaration for Scotland following shortly. 

‘FMD-susceptible animals’ means a cow, bull, sheep, goat, deer, camel, llama, alpaca, guanaco, vicuna, any other ruminant, any swine (that is, a member of the suborder Suina of the order Artiodactyla) or elephant.   

Exemptions to these restrictions are goods listed in Part 1 of Annex 1 to Regulation 2019/2122 if  the product complies with the relevant conditions set out in Part 1 of Annex 1 to Regulation 2019/2122 and the combined weight of the following products imported at any given time does not exceed 2kg:

• bread, cakes, biscuits, waffles or wafers, rusks, toasted bread or a similar toasted product containing less than 20% of processed dairy or egg products and treated as provided for in Article 6(1)(a) of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC
• chocolate or confectionery (including sweets) containing less than 50% of processed dairy and egg products and treated as provided for in Article 6(1)(a) of Commission Decision 2007/257/EC
• food supplements packaged for the final consumer containing small amounts (in total less than 20%) of processed animal products (including glucosamine, chondroitin or chitosan, or both chondroitin and chitosan) other than meat products
• pasta or noodles not mixed or filled with meat product containing less than 50% of processed dairy and egg products and treated as provided for in Article 6(1)(a) of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC

The following safeguard declarations give effect to these prohibitions:   

• declaration of special measures: personal imports of products from susceptible animals from EEA states, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Switzerland (England) 
• declaration of special measures: personal imports of products from susceptible animals from EEA states, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Switzerland (Wales) 

The special measures will apply from 12 April 2025 and will continue to apply until they are revoked or amended.

Actions for OVSs 

To note the contents of this OVS note. 

Contact point for enquiries 

Email:

• bbtp-issue-triage@defra.gov.uk
• imports@apha.gov.uk

Imports and EU Trade Team