Guidance

7 March 2025: Personal imports of products from FMD-susceptible animals from certain third countries and territories

Updated 11 April 2025

OVS note 2025/20

7 March 2025

Purpose

1) To inform you of the tightened restrictions, from 8 March 2025, of personal imports of products from FMD-susceptible animals from the EU single market area into GB, to mitigate the risk of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

Background

2) Hungary notified World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) on 7 March 2025: WAHIS. The outbreak was detected in a cattle herd on a farm in Kisbajcs, 1 kilometre from the boarder with Slovakia.

3) Personal imports from the EU single market area of products from FMD-susceptible animals have already been restricted via Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulation (TARP) safeguard declarations (see OVS note 2025/04).

4) These declarations, which previously suspended personal imports of products from FMD-susceptible animals (including those commercially produced and packaged) from Germany as an FMD-affected country, have now been updated to suspend personal imports of the same products from Hungary. Due to the proximity of the outbreak with Slovakia, these measures also apply to the whole territory of Slovakia.

5) FMD-susceptible animals under the Foot and Mouth Disease (England) Order 2006 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), elephant or rodent (other than a pet rodent)’.

6) Imports of the following commodities into Great Britain are suspended:

a) products from FMD-susceptible animals originating from Germany, Hungary or Slovakia where the product is intended for personal consumption or use

b) products from susceptible animals originating from a territory subject to special transitional import arrangements other than Germany, Hungary or Slovakia where the product is intended for personal consumption or use.

7) Restrictions on the products in Point 5 do not apply if the product is:

a) a good listed in Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation 2019/2122, and:

1. the product complies with the relevant conditions set out in Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation 2019/2122; and
2. the combined weight of products imported at any given time does not exceed 2 kg; or

b) bread, cakes, biscuits, waffles or wafers, rusks, toasted bread or a similar toasted product containing less than 20 % of processed dairy and egg products and treated as provided for in point (a)(i) of Article 6(1) of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC;

c) chocolate or confectionary (including sweets) containing less than 50 % of processed dairy and egg products and treated as provided for in point (a)(i) of Article 6(1) of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC;

d) 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; or

e) 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 point (a)(i) of Article 6(1) of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC.

8) Restrictions on the products mentioned in Point 5(b) do not apply if the combined weight of products imported at any given time does not exceed 2 kg; and

a) where the product is a product of animal origin intended for human consumption, it bears a health mark or an identification mark; or

b) where the product is an animal by-product or a derived product, it:

(i) is packaged in accordance with Article 23(1) of Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the placing on the market and use of feed2, as it has effect in EU law, and includes on the package the name and address of the feed business operator responsible for its labelling under Article 12(2) of that Regulation; or

(ii) has a label attached to the packaging, container or vehicle, describing the product and stating to which category of animal by-products it belongs.

9) The following safeguard declarations give effect to these prohibitions, published here:

• Declaration of special measures: personal imports of products from susceptible animals from Hungary and Slovakia (England)
• Declaration of special measures: personal imports of products from susceptible animals from Hungary and Slovakia (Scotland)
• Declaration of special measures: personal imports of products from susceptible animals from Hungary and Slovakia (Wales)

10) The special measures will apply from 8 March 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

bbtp-issue-triage@defra.gov.uk

imports@apha.gov.uk 

Imports and EU Trade Team