The UK Chief Veterinary Officer is urging livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical\u00a0signs of\u00a0Foot and Mouth disease (FMD)\u00a0following the\u00a0confirmation of\u00a0the disease in\u00a0cattle and sheep\u00a0in Larnaca,\u00a0Cyprus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0UK Government has taken action and has applied\u00a0restrictions\u00a0on certain Cypriot commercial imports to Great Britain.\u00a0These measures are necessary to mitigate the risk of disease and to safeguard UK livestock, agricultural production and biosecurity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are no cases in the UK currently.\u202fFMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas, and alpacas. Livestock keepers should therefore be\u00a0absolutely rigorous\u00a0about their biosecurity.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
FMD causes significant economic losses due to production losses in the affected animals as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat, and milk for affected countries.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commercial imports of cheeses\u00a0from Cyprus, including halloumi, remain permitted provided\u00a0they meet the heat treatment requirements and are accompanied by the mandatory health certificate.<\/p>\n
Personal imports of meat and dairy (including halloumi) from the EU remain prohibited in line with restrictions brought in last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n The UK will continue to apply proportionate, science-based measures to protect animal health while\u00a0facilitating\u00a0safe trade.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss said:\u00a0<\/p>\n Foot and Mouth disease has now been confirmed in\u00a0Cyprus,\u00a0we\u00a0remain\u00a0in contact with our European counterparts to understand the latest situation.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n Robust plans are already in place to minimise the risk of disease incursion to support Britain\u2019s farming community and food security.\u00a0<\/p>\n Livestock keepers are reminded to continue exercising the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, follow scrupulous biosecurity and report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.<\/p>\n Since 12 April 2025, travellers have been banned from bringing cattle, sheep, goat, and pig meat, as well as dairy products, from EU countries into Great Britain for personal use. This followed a rise of disease cases across mainland Europe.\u202fAll\u00a0travellers are\u00a0urged to ensure they are not bringing these products into the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n Restrictions<\/p>\n The restrictions cover the import hay and straw, live animals of FMD-susceptible species such cows and sheep, germplasm, fresh meat, meat products unless appropriately heat treated, milk and dairy products unless suitably treated, and animal by-products such as pet food.<\/p>\n If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0an importer or exporter, read about the import restrictions<\/a> for foot and mouth disease.<\/p>\n What you can do\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n Clinical signs to be aware of vary depending on the animals, but in cattle the main signs are sores and blisters on the feet,\u00a0mouth\u00a0and tongue with potentially a fever,\u00a0lameness\u00a0and a reluctance to feed. In sheep and pigs, signs tend to manifest with lameness with potential for blistering.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0an animal keeper, read about how to spot foot and mouth disease and report it<\/a>.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n Maintaining\u00a0good biosecurity is essential to protecting the health and welfare of herds and critical to preventing the spread of diseases such as FMD and preventing an outbreak spreading.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n Foot and mouth disease is a notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect foot and mouth disease in your animals, you must report it\u00a0immediately\u00a0by calling:\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n 03000 200 301 in England\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n 0300 303 8268 in Wales\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n your local\u202f\u202fField Services Office<\/a>\u202fin Scotland\u00a0<\/p>\n