Following an outbreak of the highly contagious Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Germany, the UK government banned the import of cattle, pigs, sheep, deer, buffaloes and their products, such as meat and dairy, from the country last week.

The ban was introduced to protect British farmers and prevent the spread of FMD, which is not harmful to humans, after Germany’s first outbreak in 40 years in its Brandenburg region.

The disease was found in a herd of water buffalo on January 10th and the UK reacted with its temporary embargo four days later.  Further testing of animals has been extensively carried out near to the outbreak on the outskirts of Berlin, but no further cases have been reported since.

It remains unclear how long the ban will be effective, as German officials continue their investigation into the cause of the outbreak. In the meantime, UK businesses are asked to suspend their imports of meat and dairy products from the EU country, which will otherwise be stopped at borders.

Additionally, it is no longer permitted for travellers to bring unpackaged meat, meat products, milk and dairy products, certain composite products and animal byproducts of pigs and ruminants into the UK from the EU.

You can view the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) statement on the government’s website HERE.