The UK Chief Veterinary Officer is urging livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical\u202fsigns of\u202fFoot and Mouth disease (FMD)\u202ffollowing the\u202fconfirmation of\u202fthe disease in\u202fa cattle farm\u00a0in Lesvos, Greece.<\/p>\n
The\u202fUK\u00a0government has\u00a0taken action\u00a0and has applied\u202frestrictions\u202fon certain Greek commercial imports to Great Britain.\u202fThese measures are necessary to mitigate the risk of disease and to safeguard UK livestock, agricultural\u00a0production\u00a0and biosecurity.\u202f<\/p>\n
Commercial imports\u00a0of\u00a0milk,\u00a0colostrum\u00a0and their products\u00a0including\u00a0feta and\u00a0yoghurt are only\u00a0permitted where the products have undergone\u00a0the required\u00a0heat treatment and are\u00a0accompanied by the mandatory health certificate.<\/p>\n
There are currently no cases in the UK.\u202fFMD\u00a0poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas, and alpacas. Livestock keepers should therefore be\u202fabsolutely rigorous\u202fabout their biosecurity.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
FMD causes significant economic losses due to production losses in the affected animals as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat, and milk for\u00a0affected countries.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Personal imports of meat and dairy from the EU remain prohibited\u202fin line with restrictions brought in last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n The UK will continue to apply proportionate, science-based measures to protect animal health while\u202ffacilitating\u202fsafe trade.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss said:\u202f<\/p>\n A case of Foot and Mouth disease has been confirmed in\u202fGreece,\u202fwe\u202fare\u202fin contact with our European counterparts to understand the latest situation.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n Robust plans are already in place to minimise the risk of disease incursion to support Britain\u2019s farming community and food security.\u202f<\/p>\n Livestock keepers are urged to continue exercising the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, follow scrupulous biosecurity and report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Since 12 April 2025, travellers have been banned from bringing cattle, sheep, goat, and pig meat, as well as dairy products, from EU countries into Great Britain for personal use. This followed a rise of disease cases across mainland Europe.\u202fAll\u202ftravellers are\u202furged to ensure they are not bringing these products into the country.\u202f<\/p>\n Restrictions<\/p>\n The restrictions cover the import hay and straw, live animals of FMD-susceptible species such cows and sheep, germplasm, fresh meat, meat products unless appropriately heat treated, milk and dairy products unless suitably treated, and animal by-products such as pet food.<\/p>\n If\u202fyou\u2019re\u202fan importer or exporter, read about the\u202fimport restrictions<\/a>\u202ffor foot and mouth disease.<\/p>\n What you can do\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n Clinical signs to be aware of vary depending on the animals, but in cattle the main signs are sores and blisters on the feet,\u202fmouth\u202fand tongue with potentially a fever,\u202flameness\u202fand a reluctance to feed. In sheep and pigs, signs tend to manifest with lameness with potential for blistering.\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n If\u202fyou\u2019re\u202fan animal keeper, read about\u202fhow to spot foot and mouth disease and report it<\/a>.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n Maintaining\u202fgood biosecurity is essential to protecting the health and welfare of herds and critical to preventing the spread of diseases such as FMD and preventing an outbreak spreading.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n Foot and mouth disease is a notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect foot and mouth disease in your animals, you must report it\u202fimmediately\u202fby calling:\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n 03000 200 301 in England\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 0300 303 8268 in Wales\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n<\/li>\n your local\u202f\u202fField Services Office<\/a>\u202fin Scotland\u202f<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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