GovWire

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:

• importing live animals or animal products
• exporting live animals or animal products

Defras animal disease monitoring collection covers major, notifiable or new and emerging animal disease outbreaks internationally and in the UK.

Foot and mouth disease import restrictions

Update: 16 January 2025

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 foot and mouth disease (FMD) (except porcines) will only be permitted from countries or zones that are recognised as free of FMD by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and must 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 Secretaryfor ClimateChangeand Rural Affairs (Wales).

• Foot and mouth disease - importation of untreated wool and hair of susceptible animals for certain third countries and territories: declaration of special measures (England) (PDF, 223 KB, 10 pages)
• Foot and mouth disease - importation of untreated wool and hair of susceptible animals for certain third countries and territories: declaration of special measures (Scotland) (PDF, 223 KB, 10 pages)
• Foot and mouth disease - importation of untreated wool and hair of susceptible animals for certain third countries and territories: declaration of special measures (Wales) (PDF, 228 KB, 10 pages)

These special measures apply from 17 January 2025 until they are revoked or amended.

Declaration of special measures: importation of animal casings of susceptible animals for certain third countries and territories

Imports imports of animal casings of species susceptible to FMD, classical swine fever (CSF) and African swine fever (ASF) without specific risk mitigating treatment will only be permitted from EU and EFTA countries and non-EU countries or zones approved to export fresh meat of the relevant species and are recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as free of FMD.

For countries or zones that are not recognised as free of FMD and/or not approved to export fresh meat of the relevant species, the casings must:

• come from holdings that are not under restrictions due to notifiable diseases in Annex 4 of the special measure below
• have been subjected to a risk mitigating treatment as set out in the relevant model export health certificate

These declarations of special measures are necessary to prevent the incursion of FMD, CSF and ASF into the United Kingdom. Susceptible species mean bovine, ovine, caprine and porcine animals. 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 Secretaryfor ClimateChangeand Rural Affairs (Wales).

• Foot and mouth disease - importation of animal casings from foot and mouth disease susceptible animals from certain third countries and territories: declaration of special measures (England) (PDF, 333 KB, 16 pages)
• Foot and mouth disease - importation of animal casings from foot and mouth disease susceptible animals from certain third countries and territories: declaration of special measures (Scotland) (PDF, 307 KB, 16 pages)
• Foot and mouth disease - importation of animal casings from foot and mouth disease susceptible animals from certain third countries and territories: declaration of special measures (Wales) (PDF, 341 KB, 16 pages)

These special measures apply from 17 January 2025 until they are revoked or amended.

Update: 14 January 2025

Individuals can only bring certain products of hoofed animals (ungulates) from the?EU,?