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Foot and mouth disease in Hungary

IMPORTANT – Foot and mouth disease in Hungary - information for importers

Update - 10 March

DEFRA SPS border controls - important message
Issued by DEFRA

 

This email provides an update on the suspension of the import of impacted goods. The Background section of this email contains full details.  

This is the third email sent. The first two emails can be accessed below: 

First email - Foot and mouth disease in Hungary  
Second email - Foot and mouth disease in Hungary 

In this email: 

 

Video of today’s webinar  

Defra's subject matter experts held a webinar about the suspension of the import of impacted products from Hungary and Slovakia for importing businesses, their agents and trade associations on Monday 10 March. Our experts provided information and answered questions from participants on the call.  

If you were unable to join today’s webinar you can watch it here.    

 

Personal Imports  

Restrictions on personal imports of meat, meat products, milk and dairy products from Hungary and Slovakia were published on 7 March and began on 8 March. For more information, see Bringing food into Great Britain: Meat, dairy, fish and animal products - GOV.UK and 7 March 2025: Personal imports of products from FMD-susceptible animals from certain third countries and territories - GOV.UK 

 

 

Background

FMD is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals. It causes very significant economic losses, due to production losses in the affected animals and due to the loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries. FMD does not infect humans and does not pose a food safety risk.   

Defra are in contact with Hungarian and Slovakian counterparts and are working closely with the Devolved Governments to prevent an incursion from imported goods. We will keep you updated as the investigation progresses.    

What is the impact on the import of live animals and meat products from Hungary and Slovakia into Great Britain?   

Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) has suspended the import of the following commodities to Great Britain from Hungary and Slovakia, following an outbreak of FMD that was confirmed on 7 March 2025:  

 

 

We are also introducing restrictions on personal imports from Hungary and Slovakia, in line with those in place for FMD in Germany, and we’ll share more information on this shortly.  

 

Definition of FMD-susceptible animals   

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).  

And under The Foot and Mouth Disease (Scotland) Order 2006 means “means cattle, a 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) or an elephant” 

 

What actions do businesses need to take?  

Businesses are asked to suspend imports of impacted products from Hungary and Slovakia whilst the Hungarian authorities investigate the outbreak.  If you have consignments containing impacted fresh meat, meat products or dairy products arriving into Great Britain, it is likely that they will be called to the Border Control Post at the point of entry by the Port Health Authority/Local Authority to undergo checks.  Contact the Port Health Authority at the point of entry for information on next steps. Please note that some PHAs/LAs do not operate at weekends. Full contact details are available on GOV UK.  

Where goods are currently being held at the GB border due to the FMD outbreak in Hungary, Port Health Authorities and Local Authorities can support businesses to return goods to Hungary or Slovakia, with agreement of the veterinary authorities in the EU, using standard processes. Please contact the PHA/LA at the port of entry where your goods are being held for information.   

Where these products have recently arrived in GB and the EHC was signed in good faith before the presence of FMD in Hungary was confirmed, we urge businesses not to put this product into the GB supply chain.   
 
Investigations in Hungary relating to the emergence of disease and possible distribution are not complete. Much of it will be safe but the GB authorities will aim to trace and remove those products that originated close to the outbreak, in a timeframe where FMD infection or contamination was possible.

FMD – action to take to ease processing delays  

We understand that enhanced controls for Hungarian and Slovakian FMD-susceptible meat products, milk and milk products may present a challenge for traders, and we appreciate your cooperation and support for keeping Great Britain FMD-free. 

The following are actions that you and/or your agent can take to help mitigate some of the most common causes of processing delays that we’re currently seeing at the border. Please pass to your agent for information.  

1. Multiple CHEDs under the same MRN.   

Where a load or container consists of a mixed load or groupage, there is an increased risk that the SPS hold on the customs declaration will not be lifted if one or more of the consignments in the load requires an inspection. 
  

Example: an agent or importer has correctly submitted 3 separate CHED import notifications in IPAFFS for 3 consignments in a vehicle’s load. All 3 are correctly recorded on the customs declaration in CDS.    

Checking on IPAFFS, two of the consignments have been cleared as valid but one is still undergoing documentary checks and has not yet been cleared. An SPS hold is showing on the customs declaration in CDS.  

Once all 3 CHEDS are cleared as valid by the Port Health Authority, the SPS hold is removed from the customs declaration and HMRC/Border Force can release the load if no further customs checks are required.   

Action: Traders and their agents are asked to check the status of their consignments via IPAFFS and CDS and where necessary discuss options to minimise delays with the Port Health Authority/Local Authority (PHA/LA) at the point of entry. These may include devanning and separating the consignments. This is likely to require the resubmission of the customs declaration for the load.  

2. Removal of consignments for inspections. 
  

If your supplier off-loads a particular consignment before it reaches Great Britain, and you or your agent cancels the accompanying CHED import notification in IPAFFS, it is important that you or your agent also amends the pre-lodged customs declaration in CDS to remove the relevant commodity codes and CHED reference number for the consignment. This also applies if you ask the PHA to cancel the CHED on your behalf.  

Action: You or your agent should amend the customs declaration to remove any cancelled CHEDs. If the customs declaration is not amended, the SPS hold will persist because CDS is not able to access the inspection decision for the cancelled CHED.   

Consignments will not be released until the customs declaration is amended and the SPS hold lifted. In exceptional cases where the CDS entry cannot be amended, the National Clearance Hub can issue a manual release.  NCH will NOT release holds for any other reason.   

3. Consignment remains under an SPS hold in CDS   

Where a consignment is still under an SPS hold on CDS despite all SPS checks being complete and all CHEDs showing as valid on IPAFFS, this may be due to inconsistencies in data entry between the CHED import notification and the customs declaration.   

Action: Traders and agents should check both submissions and amend as necessary. The most common errors include:  

If you or your agent require further information on any of these actions, please contact the PHA at your consignments’ point of entry into GB. 

 

Common questions and answers 

These are the most common questions we’ve received from importing businesses and agents. We will update this list regularly.


What are the permitted risk mitigating treatments for meat products? 

D1 Thorough cooking of meat, previously deboned and defatted, subjected to heating so that an internal temperature of 70 °C or greater is maintained for a minimum of 30 minutes.  

D A minimum temperature of 70 °C which must be reached throughout the meat and/or stomachs, bladders and intestines during the processing of meat products and treated stomachs, bladders and intestines, or for raw ham, a treatment consisting of natural fermentation and maturation of not less than nine months and resulting in the following characteristics.   

C A minimum temperature of 80 °C which must be reached throughout the meat and/or stomachs, bladders and intestines during the processing of the meat product and treated stomachs, bladders and intestines.  

B Treatment in a hermetically sealed container to an Fo value of three or more. 

 

What about products from ASF zones?   

If a product originates in an ASF zone in Hungary and Slovakia then a higher level of heat treatment may be required to be eligible to import the product to GB. Whichever treatment is higher – that required by ASF rules or FMD rules – will be needed. 


Are all poultry products exempted?

Poultry is not considered an FMD-susceptible species, as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) only affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. Therefore, the FMD-related restrictions in Hungary and Slovakia do not directly apply to poultry or other non-susceptible species.

 

Will Hungary and Slovakia be regionalised in terms out the outbreaks, i.e. if meat is from another area of Hungary to where the outbreak is in the same way AI or ASF would be?


We will consider any requests from Hungary to regionalise the affected area provided that is underpinned by their epidemiological understanding of the outbreak as their investigations progress.

 

Are consignments accompanied by EHCs that were signed before or on the day of the confirmation of the outbreak (7th March) in Hungary and restrictions on Slovakia still allowed into GB? 

All foot and mouth disease susceptible consignments from the whole of Hungary and Slovakia are being detained for checks. 

 

What animals are included / are considered FMD susceptible? 

Live (including non-domestic) ungulates (ruminants and porcine, including wild game) and their germplasm.  

 

Are restrictions only on fresh meat that is not processed? 

The restrictions have been placed on all fresh and frozen meat, live animals as well as processed meat that does not meet the processing requirements. 

 

Are there restrictions on meat that has been processed?  

The restrictions have been placed on meat products for human consumption from ungulates that have not been subject to specific treatment D1, D, C or B (including wild game) with D1 the minimum treatment required.   

The restrictions have also been placed on milk, colostrum and their products unless subjected to treatment as defined in Article 4 of Regulation 2010/605.   

Processing requirements for animal by-products including pet food may be different. There is further information in this Q and A.  

 

Why are there different treatment requirements for meat products and for processed petfood?  

 We have specified the treatments in the legislation relevant to the commodity, that we are confident mitigate FMD risk i.e. Part 4 of Annex II to assimilated Commission Decision 2007/777 for meat products and points (i), (ii), (iii) or (v) of paragraph 3(b) of Chapter II in Annex XIII to assimilated Commission Regulation 142/2011 for processed petfood other than canned petfood. However, the treatments laid down in the legislation are not FMD-specific (i.e. they may be designed to mitigate risks of other pathogens in the relevant commodities too) and that is why they may appear discrepant. 

 

Is it only meat from the Hungarian region that is affected? 

The loss of disease freedom covers the whole of Hungary and Slovakia and therefore the restrictions apply to both those countries as a whole. 

 

What do we do about meat that’s already on the shelves? 

These products do not need to be removed.  

 

Are there any restrictions on research and diagnostic samples? 

Traders can continue to import research and diagnostic samples from Hungary or Slovakia if they comply with the import conditions in general import authorisation IMP-GEN-2024-13, which must accompany the consignment. 

 

Are there any restrictions on non-harmonised animal by-products or display items? 

Certain types of animal by-products (ABP) (not for human consumption) have no specific import rules laid down in the ABP Regulations and are not required to be imported with a health certificate – these are often referred to as ‘non-harmonised’ products.    

From April 2024, general import authorisations have been available for use by traders to import any type of non-harmonised ABP or display items from EU and EFTA member states.   

To prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease, following a case being confirmed in Hungary, the general import authorisation for non-harmonised ABP (IMP/GEN/2025/01) has been revoked and replaced with a new authorisation (IMP/GEN/2025/03), and the general import authorisation for display items (IMP/GEN/2025/02) has been revoked and replaced with a new authorisation (IMP/GEN/2025/04). Both are available here:  

General licences and authorisations to import live animals or animal products - GOV.UK  

These new authorisations will need to be used by traders immediately.  

These new general import authorisations cannot be used for non-harmonised ABP or display items originating from Hungary or Slovakia that have been obtained from any of the following animals: 

If an importer wishes to import these types of products, they must now apply to CIT using an IV58 application form.  A specific import authorisation will be issued subject to a satisfactory assessment of the application.  The product must not be imported without an accompanying specific import authorisation. 

 

Can products that have been restricted and held at the border be returned to Hungary and Slovakia?  

Yes, goods that have been held at the border as a consequence of the outbreak of FMD in Hungary and Slovakia can be returned to Hungary and Slovakia on a voluntary basis subject to agreement by the veterinary authorities in the EU. 

 

Do the restrictions resulting from FMD outbreak in Hungary and Slovakia affect only medium and higher risk categories for POAO, or are products currently categorised as low risk affected too? 

The restrictions have been placed on all products irrespective of the risk profile that are covered by the published guidance. The risk profiles won’t be changed as a result of this outbreak.  

Where the low risk product needs to be treated to a certain level to conform to the requirements as set out in the Foot and Mouth notice, evidence of this treatment must be provided.  

 

Can Hungararian and Slovakian Official Veterinarians still sign Export Health Certificates (EHCs) to import SPS products to GB? 

 
Hungary has now lost its FMD-free status and based on a risk assessment we are including restrictions from the whole of Slovakia. As such, GB EHCs for export of products of animal origin from FMD-susceptible animals (including pigs) from Hungary and Slovakia can no longer be certified. 

 

Is meat or product from pigs or any other FMD-susceptible species sourced outside of Hungary and Slovakia but slaughtered in Hungary and Slovakia under this restriction?  

Regardless of the origin of the pigs, the export would be from Hungary or Slovakia and as such would require an EHC signed by an OV in Hungary or Slovakia. As a consequence of Hungary and Slovakia (based on risk) losing FMD freedom this certificate could no longer be signed. 

 

What about consignments with EHCs already signed? 

 
EHCs already signed were done so in good faith before the presence of FMD in Hungary and Slovakia was confirmed. However, this product currently is risky because the investigations in Hungary or Slovakia relating to the emergence of disease and possible distribution is not complete. Where possible we have asked for these consignments to be held at BCPs for now.  

We urge traders not to put this product into the GB supply chain – much of it will be safe but for that which originated close to the outbreak in a timeframe where FMD infection or contamination is possible we will want to trace it and remove it. 

 

What about mixed loads? 

Non- Foot and Mouth impacted consignments 

Where a vehicle or trailer contains multiple consignments, and one or more of those consignments have been detained, it is permitted to release those consignments that have not been detained. 

 

Foot and Mouth impacted consignments 
 
Where a vehicle or a trailer has been detained at a BCP containing  Hungary or Slovakia origin animal origin products subject to Foot and Mouth restrictions and otherwise compliant non- Hungarian or Slovakian origin animal origin products, it is permitted to split the load and sometimes the consignment and release the non- Hungary or Slovakia origin animal origin consignments in certain circumstances. These circumstances include: 

 

Contact points   

Imports of animal products: for urgent questions about imports of animal products, including germinal products, contact the Port Health Authority or Local Authority at the Border Control Post (BCP) for the goods’ point of entry. Find the BCP and the PHA/LA contact information on GOV UK.   

Imports of live animals: for urgent questions about imports of live animals, contact APHA. 

 

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