Animal Plant Health Agency
This page provides details on particular issues or changes that importers and exporters may need to be aware of.
You can read a collection of all the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) guidance and forms for importing and 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.
Lifting of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) import restrictions: Japan
Following an assessment Defra has, in conjunction with Scottish Government and Welsh Government, agreed to lift restrictions on imports into Great Britain of fresh poultry meat and poultry products produced in Japan after 28 July 2022.
Since November 2020, the import of fresh poultry meat and other high-risk poultry products from Japan to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) have been restricted due to outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
In July 2022, the Japanese authorities provided further information to Defra?on the epidemiological situation in Japan, including confirmation that there have been no reported outbreaks of HPAI in commercial poultry in Japan since May 2022.
Read Poultry and poultry products and Meat Products on the Non-EU countries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain page for more information about affected commodities and regions.
Sheep and goat pox in Spain
From 30 September we have temporarily restricted live sheep and goats from Spain entering Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), along with the following sheep and goat products:
- germplasm
- untreated wool
- fresh or chilled skins and hides
- raw milk and milk products
On 19 September 2022, an outbreak of sheep and goat pox was confirmed inSpain. The extent of the disease outbreak is yet to be determined. This suspension will remain in place until all necessary biosecurity checks have taken place and the current?sheep and goat pox?outbreak is under control.
Find out the countries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain.
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Botswana
Great Britain has temporarily suspended exports of fresh meat and by-products of ungulates from the whole of Botswana if they were processed after 28 July 2022.
On 27 August 2022, an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed in a previously FMD free region of Botswana.
The extent of the disease outbreak is yet to be determined. This suspension will remain in place until all necessary biosecurity checks have taken place and the current FMD outbreak is under control.
Find out the countries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain.
Commercial import of dogs, cats and ferrets to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) from Belarus, Poland, Romania or Ukraine
Great Britain has temporarily suspended the commercial import of dogs, cats and ferrets if they originate from or have been dispatched from Belarus, Poland, Romania or Ukraine, until 29 October 2022.
Commercial imports are the sale of or the transfer of ownership of a pet animal. This includes rescue animals and if you are travelling with more than 5 dogs, cats or ferrets if these animals are not attending training for a competition, show or sporting event.
This suspension does not apply to non-commercial pet animals from these countries.
This decision has been taken because of the serious health risk to humans and animals in Great Britain from commercial cats, dogs and ferrets from Belarus, Poland, Romania or Ukraine that do not comply with UK health and documentation requirements. These countries are at high-risk of rabies.
The risk has been exacerbated by serious cases of non-compliance from countries neighbouring Ukraine which are experiencing high volumes of animal movements at present.
Measures from 3 September until 29 October 2022
Read the:
Rodents imported from Lithuania
An ongoing outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis among the UK public has been linked to mice imported from Lithuania for use as animal feed, particularly for reptiles. The risk posed to public health has led to a decision to prohibit imports of feeder rodents (mice and rats for use as animal feed) from Lithuania into the UK, coming into force from 17 February 2022.
The following safeguard measures 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 Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd (Wales), the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Northern Ireland) and Food Standards Scotland:
- ,