Border & Biosecurity

In recent months, Great Britain has updated import restrictions, particularly from EU countries, in response to outbreaks of animal diseases and associated risks. Below are the key areas of concern

African Swine Flu (ASF) - Spain 

Great Britain has immediately suspended the imports of raw and insufficiently treated pork products from Spain or containing Spanish-origin meat. The disease was detected in two wild boars in the region of Barcelona.  

 Spanish authorities have instructed their official veterinarians that, at the national level, no further export certificates can be signed for affected products destined for Great Britain. 

This means that the Official Veterinarians in Spain will not sign any export certificates of affected consignments until the ASF free area is recognised by the Spanish Government and European Commission. 

Meat products treated with less than treatment “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.) are prohibited for import and will be rejected.

For the avoidance of doubt, only B and C treatment types are sufficient – D, D1, E and F are insufficient to mitigate the disease. The treatment type A is NOT sufficient, as this means the goods are entirely untreated.

Please don’t bring your consignment as it will be detained until further instructions are released relating to the outbreak regions and treatment. 

If your products are treated as “LOW risk”, then a heat treatment declaring minimum temperature will need to be provided. 

We expect regionalisation to be confirmed soon, which will allow imports from unaffected areas to resume.  We recommend, where feasible, that any affected consignments arriving at ports are detained pending the announcement of regionalisation. 

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) - European Union 

Great Britain continues to suspend the import of the following bovine commodities from Italy, France and Spain: 

• Live cattle
• Germplasm (unless collected before certain cut-off dates) 
• Offal (except the diaphragm and masseter muscles)
• Raw milk and raw dairy products, including colostrum 
• Certain animal by-products, including hides/skins unless processed in a way that mitigates LSD risk. 

This follows confirmed LSD outbreaks in Italy (21 June 2025), France (29 June 2025) and Spain (3 October 2025).  

The restrictions remain in force until revoked or amended. Importers must follow the published safeguard declarations and ensure all required processing and documentation. This ensures GB remains free from LSD while allowing trade in low-risk or treated products to continue. For further guidance on low-risk imports, read more here (Navigating Safeguard Measures for Low-Risk Imports) 

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) - Hungary (sheep & goats) 

Due to a PPR outbreak confirmed in 2025, GB continues to suspend imports from Hungary of: 

• Live sheep and goats
• Germplasm
• Raw milk and milk products
• Untreated wool and hair
• Untreated skins and hides from sheep and goats. 

Tropilaelaps mite risk — Honeybees & Apiculture Products from Ukraine 

Great Britain continues to suspend the import of live honeybees, apiculture products and used beekeeping equipment from Ukraine, due to limited surveillance for the Tropaeola’s mite. 

These safeguard measures took effect from 7 October 2025 and will remain until revoked or amended 

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) imports restrictions: Argentina   

Great Britain has lifted the import restrictions that were implemented in August 2025 due to an outbreak of HPAI in Argentina. This means that: 

• Imports of poultry, ratite and wild game bird meat may resume
• The treatment category for relevant meat products has been amended from ‘D’ to ‘A’, meaning no specific heat treatment is required.

As always, our bulletin highlights the key areas of current concern for GB imports. Other animal and animal-product imports may also be subject to restrictions. If you are unsure about the requirements for your consignments, please contact EORI (UK), where our specialist technical team can provide tailored advice and guidance.