Strict new controls suspending personal imports of certain sheep
and goat commodities, such as meat, cheese and milk products,
have been announced.
Published 21 August 2024
Last updated 17 December 2024 — See all updates
Strict new controls suspending personal imports of certain sheep
and goat commodities, such as meat, cheese and milk products, are
in force to safeguard Britain's sheep and goat populations from
outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants (PPR).
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) poses no risk to human health
but is a highly contagious disease affecting goats and sheep. In
recent months, there have been outbreaks in mainland Europe, and
the commercial import of certain commodities is already
restricted to prevent the spread of PPR into Great Britain.
The controls strengthen the requirements for bringing sheep and
goat meat and milk into Great Britain from the European Union
(EU), European Free Trade Association states, Greenland and Faroe
Islands.
It is no longer permitted to bring unpackaged sheep and goat meat
and meat products, or unpackaged sheep and goat milk and milk
products, from these areas. Additionally, commercially produced
and packaged sheep and goat milk and milk products are not
permitted from Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.
These measures will remain in place until PPR no longer presents
a risk to GB through the import of those products.
UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Ele Brown said:
There have been recent outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants in
Europe. This poses no risks to humans but causes severe illness
in sheep and goats. An outbreak in the UK would lead to animal
suffering and be very damaging for our farming and livestock
industry.
Everyone can do their bit to help stop animal diseases spreading
to this country by simply not bringing unpackaged meat, cheese
and milk on to our shores.
Everyone can help to stop the spread of PPR to the UK by doing
the following:
- If you are visiting PPR-affected countries, do not bring any
sheep or goat products back to the UK.
- If you are visiting EU or EFTA countries not affected by PPR,
you must not bring back sheep or goat products unless
commercially produced and packaged to EU standards.
- Dispose of any leftovers or food waste in secure bins that
sheep, goats, or wildlife cannot access.
- Farmers, the public and members of the food industry should
practice high biosecurity standards, including never feeding
catering waste, kitchen scraps or meat or milk products to sheep
and goats, which is illegal and can spread the disease.
The government continually monitors disease outbreaks around the
world to assess whether there may be risks for the UK and takes
action to limit the risk of the disease reaching our shores.
