Foot and Mouth Disease update: new international trade rules

There have been no further outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) confirmed since Tuesday 7 August. The UK has lost its official “country freedom” status for the disease, criteria set by the International Health Organisation. This status can only be regained three months after the last outbreak.

A number of restrictions are in place on international trade in meat and meat products. The ban on exports of meat and meat products from the UK to the European Union was lifted (with the exception of the 10-mile surveillance zone in Surrey) on 25 August. Restrictions remain in place in a number of non-EU Member States.

The information below is intended for guidance only. For information about certifications and restrictions on particular products, please contact your local Animal Health Divisional Office. You can find the contact details of your local office by visiting Defra's Animal Health website.

International trade to non-EU Member States

The latest information on current international trade restrictions among non-EU Member states is available here.

A number of non-EU Member States will not accept imports of meat and meat products because their export health certificates require FMD-free status, some for a period of 3-12 months. See the Defra note above for details of these countries' requirements. Defra's International Animal Health department are negotiating the lifting of trade restrictions with non-EU Member States on a country-by-country basis, according to a list of priority countries established in conjunction with industry bodies including Food from Britain.

“Country freedom” or FMD-free status is achieved when three months have passed after the last incident of Food and Mouth Disease, which will be on 7 November.

If you want to know the trade restrictions of any particular non-EU Member State, you can contact the British Embassy of that country. Information about international British Embassies is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

Update 22 August: FFB is working with Defra to identify problems encountered by exporters following FMD. We are keen to keep them informed of the reality of trade post-FMD so please contact Lizzy Hawkins (ehawkins@foodfrombritain.co.uk), including details of products affected, destination of exports, problems currently experiencing, level of urgency and reasons for the urgency. We will pass these to Defra and monitor their progress.

Trade with EU Member States

From 25 August, meat and meat products from the UK may be exported to EU Member States using pre-FMD documentation. Restrictions still apply to exports of animals from the surveillance zone in Surrey.

The European Commission has adopted a Decision regarding international trade in affected animal products. No live animals susceptible to FMD (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs), or products from these animals, can be dispatched from Great Britain. Likewise, other Member States cannot send any such live animals to Great Britain.

Certain safe products will still be allowed to be exported. These include:

• Animal products produced before 15 July 2007
• Animal products treated in a way which would inactivate any possible virus. The European Commission listed the ways in which milk can be treated to inactivate the FMD virus in a Directive. The relevant section is available here, or via the links on the right-hand side of the page.
• Animal products which were manufactured in Great Britain but derived from animals reared outside its territory.

FFB contacts

 We will keep you updated on developments as we know them, including the consequences for FFB's international activities. Please contact Lizzy Hawkins on 020 7468 8581 or ehawkins@foodfrombritain.co.uk with any specific enquiries.

Further information is available on the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) website or by calling the Defra helpline on 08459 33 55 77.

06 August 2007