Guidance

23 February 2026: Outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Cyprus

Updated 23 February 2026

OVS note number:  2026/07

Date: 23 February 2026

Purpose

To inform you that, following a recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the Republic of Cyprus, commercial imports of commodities from FMD-susceptible animals from the whole territory of Cyprus are suspended:

• live (including non-domestic) ruminant and porcine animals, including wild game, and their germplasm
• fresh meat from ruminant and porcine animals (including chilled and frozen)
• meat products from ruminant and porcine animals that have not been subject to heat treatment D1, D, C or B (as defined in Annex 1)
• milk, colostrum and their products, unless subjected to treatment as defined in Article 4 of Commission Regulation (EU) Regulation 2010/605 (see Annex 1)
• certain animal by-products derived from FMD-susceptible animals (a full list of which is provided in Annex 2), including untreated wool and hair
• casings derived from FMD-susceptible species
• hay and straw

Background

The Republic of Cyprus confirmed an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) on 20 February 2026: WAHIS. The outbreak was first detected in a cattle farm in Larnaca, with two further cases also confirmed in nearby sheep farms.

OVS note 2026/06 was issued on 20 February 2026 (and published on 22 February) notifying of the outbreak and requesting that commercial imports of susceptible commodities from Cyprus be held while import restrictions were implemented to mitigate against the threat of FMD.

Those import restrictions have now been implemented. The UK Office for SPS Trade Assurance amended its country listings today (23 February 2026) to temporarily suspend imports from the whole territory of Cyprus of the following commodities:

• Live ruminant and porcine animals (including wild game): through the removal of BOV-X, BOV-Y, OVI-X, OVI-Y, RUM, POR-X, POR-Y and SUI certificates from Cyprus’ entries in the live ungulates third country listing.
• Ruminant and porcine germplasm: through amendments to the porcine semen, bovine semen, bovine embryos, ovine and caprine embryos, and ovine and caprine semen third country listings.
• Fresh meat of ruminant and porcine animals (including chilled and frozen): through the removal of BOV, OVI, RUF, RUW, POR, SUF, and SUW certificates from Cyprus’ entries in the fresh meat of ungulates third country listing.
• Meat products from ruminant and porcine animals (including wild game) that have not been subject to at least treatment D1, D, C or B as defined in Annex 1. This has been achieved through the application of treatment D1 in columns 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11 in the meat products third country listing for Cyprus. Imports of meat products derived from FMD-susceptible animals that have been subjected to at least heat treatment D1 are still permitted.
• Raw and pasteurised milk and raw and pasteurised milk products (including colostrum): through the removal from  columns A and B in Cyprus’ entries in the milk and milk products third country listing. Imports of milk and milk products covered under column C are still permitted (see acceptable treatments in Annex 1).

For clarity, Annex 1 sets out the specific risk mitigating treatments that are acceptable for imports of meat and dairy products from Cyprus.

In addition, safeguard declarations have today been published to suspend commercial imports of a) hay and straw originating in Cyprus, and b) certain animal by-products of susceptible animals, where the animal by-product originates from Cyprus (a full list of which is provided in Annex 2). The restrictions are given effect in the following declarations, published here:

• Foot and mouth disease - declaration of special measures: importation of certain products from Cyprus (England)
• Foot and mouth disease - declaration of special measures: importation of certain products from Cyprus (Scotland)
• Foot and mouth disease - declaration of special measures: importation of certain products from Cyprus (Wales)

These safeguard measures apply from 24 February 2026 and will continue to apply until they are revoked or amended.

Imports of ABPs that are not restricted through the published safeguard measures, or because of health certificate attestations relating to freedom from FMD or changes to Cyprus’ country listings (see Annex 2) should be permitted entry if they meet all other import requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, intermediate products, research & diagnostic samples and other commodities covered by general import authorisations and licences here.

Please note that the following two general import authorisations for ABP from EU and EFTA member states have been revoked and replaced as set out below:

• IMP/GEN/2025/08 has been revoked and replaced with a new general import authorisation IMP/GEN/2026/01.
• IMP/GEN/2025/09 has been revoked and replaced with a new general import authorisation IMP/GEN/2026/02.

These new general import authorisations cannot be used for non-harmonised ABP/derived products or display items originating from Cyprus that were obtained from any of the following animals: 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). Anyone wanting to import these products must now submit an IV58 application to the Centre for International Trade, APHA.

Imports of untreated wool and hair (see OVS note 2025/05) and casings (see OVS note 2025/06) of FMD-susceptible animals from any countries (or zones within countries) that are not recognised by WOAH as free of FMD have already been suspended through TARP declarations. These declarations have now been updated to suspend imports from Cyprus. The restrictions are given effect in the following declarations, published here:

Untreated wool and hair

• Declaration of special measures: importation of untreated wool and hair from Cyprus and Slovakia (England)
• Declaration of special measures: importation of untreated wool and hair from Cyprus and Slovakia (Scotland)
• Declaration of special measures: importation of untreated wool and hair from Cyprus and Slovakia (Wales)

Animal casings

• Declaration of special measures: importation of animal casings from Cyprus and Slovakia (England)
• Declaration of special measures: importation of animal casings from Cyprus and Slovakia (Scotland)
• Declaration of special measures: importation of animal casings from Cyprus and Slovakia (Wales)

These safeguard measures apply from 24 February 2026 and will continue to apply until they are revoked or amended.

Please refer to the guidance in OVS note 2025/13 on acceptable supporting documentation for imports of animal by-products not intended for human consumption following an outbreak of FMD.

Please note, any goods originating from the Cyprus that have been held at the border as a consequence of Cyprus’ FMD outbreak can be returned to Cyprus on a voluntary basis, subject to agreement by the veterinary authorities in the Republic of Cyprus.

For your information, 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.

Where a vehicle or a trailer has been detained at a BCP containing products from Cyprus that are subject to FMD restrictions and otherwise compliant products from countries other than Cyprus, it is permitted to split the load and sometimes the consignment and release the consignments of non-Cyprus origin in certain circumstances. These circumstances include:

• Where fresh meat consignments are wrapped and packaged in such a way as to minimise the likelihood of cross contamination. For example, where the POAO is sealed and in end consumer packaging or when boxed and there is no evidence of cross contamination between the boxes
• Where the frozen consignments are well packaged in boxes and the meat within is not in direct contact with the Cypriot origin POAO.

Splitting of the consignment is not possible where the POAO subject to FMD restrictions is in direct contact or close non-barrier contact with the non-impacted consignment, or where splitting the consignments would result in direct contact or the potential for direct or very close non-barrier contact. For example, where there are hanging carcasses within a vehicle trailer of mixed origin all the carcasses in the consignments (and all consignments in the load) would be detained.  

Given the range of circumstances in which goods can be presented to the BCP, BCP inspectors should apply professional judgement when deciding if there is a strong likelihood of cross-contamination within a consignment, before rejecting any POAO products not of Cypriot origin.

Annex 1

Meat products intended for human consumption – acceptable risk mitigating treatments (Annex II, Part 4 of Commission Decision 2007/777/EC)

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

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.

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:

• Aw value of not more than 0.93,
• pH value of not more than 6.0.

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.

Treatments D and D1 are sufficient for the imports of meat products using meat from FMD susceptible animals except for products made with pork coming from African Swine Fever (ASF) Restricted Zones III (ASF present in domestic pigs). For those products, the overlapping ASF-related conditions (treatment C) must be complied with as per the list.

Milk and dairy products including colostrum for human consumption – acceptable risk mitigating treatments (Article 4 of Commission Regulation (EU) 605/2010)

The product must undergo one of the following treatments:

(a)       a sterilisation process, to achieve an Fo value equal to or greater than three; or

(b)       an ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatment at not less than 135°C in combination with a suitable holding time; or

(c)       (i) a high temperature short time pasteurisation treatment (HTST) at 72°C for 15 seconds applied twice to milk with a pH equal to or greater than 7.0 achieving, where applicable, a negative reaction to an alkaline phosphatase test, applied immediately after the heat treatment; or

(ii) a treatment with an equivalent pasteurisation effect to point (i) achieving, where applicable, a negative reaction to an alkaline phosphatase test, applied immediately after the heat treatment;

(d)      a HTST treatment of milk with a pH below 7.0; or

(e)      a HTST treatment combined with another physical treatment by either:

(i)  lowering the pH below 6 for one hour, or

(ii)  additional heating equal to or greater than 72°C, combined with desiccation.

Annex 2: Animal by-product (ABP) restrictions

Imports from Cyprus of the following animal by-products of susceptible animals are suspended, where the animal by-product originates from Cyprus:

• Wool and hair, unless it complies with sub-paragraph (c) or (d) in Article 25 (2) of Regulation 142/2011
• Untreated pig bristles (GBHC571)
• Pig bristles (GBHC570), unless boiled for at least one hour
• Treated hides and skins (GBHC541 & GBHC542), except: 5. hides and skins having undergone the complete process of tanning; 6. wet blue; 7. pickled pelts; 8. limed hides which have been treated with lime and in brine at a pH of 12 to 13 for at least eight hours.
• Untreated game trophies and other preparations of ungulates consisting of entire anatomical parts (GBHC543)
• Treated game trophies or other preparations consisting of hides and skins (GBHC544), except those referred to in paragraph (1) of Section 5 of Chapter II of Annex 14 to Regulation 142/2011.
• Treated game trophies or other preparations consisting of bone, horns, hooves, claws, antlers or teeth (GBHC544), except those referred to in paragraph (1) of Section 5 of Chapter II of Annex 14 to Regulation 142/2011, unless immersed in boiling water for an appropriate time so as to ensure that any matter other than bone, horns, hooves, claws, antlers or teeth is removed, and disinfected with hydrogen peroxide where parts consisting of bone are concerned.
• Rendered fats for use outside the feed chain (GBHC511), unless subjected to one of the processing methods 1 to 5 as referred to in Chapter III of Annex IV to Regulation 142/2011.
• Fat derivatives (GBHC513 and GBHC512) unless subjected to one of the following treatments: 14. transesterification or hydrolysis at least 200°C, under corresponding appropriate pressure, for 20 minutes (glycerol, fatty acids and esters); 15. hydrogenation at 160°C at 12 bars (12000 hPa) pressure for 20 minutes; 16. any of the processing methods 1 to 5, as referred to in Chapter III of Annex IV to Regulation 142/2011; or 17. saponification with NaOH 12M (glycerol and soap) in a— 1. batch process at 95°C for three hours; or 2. continuous process at 140°C, 2 bars (2000 hPa) for eight minutes.
• Milk, milk-based products and milk-derived products not for human consumption (GBHC583)
• Bones and bone products, horns and horn products and hooves and hoof products intended for use other than as feed material organic fertilisers or soil improvers, unless accompanied by a commercial document stamped by the Competent Authority supervising the establishment of origin that one of the treatments referred to in points (iii), (iv) or (v) of paragraph 2(d) of Annex XIV, Chapter II, Section 7 of Regulation 142/2011 has been applied.
• Processed manure from FMD-susceptible animals (GBHC550).
• Dog chews (GBHC563) made from untanned hides and skins or from bones of susceptible animals. Other types of dog chew will continue to be permitted if they comply with the treatment requirements in GBHC563.
• Processed petfood (other than canned petfood) unless it has been subjected to one of the treatments referred to in points (i), (ii), (iii) or (v) of paragraph 3(b) of Chapter II in Annex XIII to Regulation 142/2011.
• Untreated blood products, excluding from equidae, for the manufacture of derived products for uses outside the feed chain for farmed animals (GBHC502)
• Blood products for feed material (GBHC500)
• Colostrum, colostrum products (GBHC587)
• Fresh or chilled hides and skins (GBHC540)
• Raw petfood (GBHC562)
• Flavouring innards for the manufacture of petfood (GBHC564)
• Animal by-products for the manufacture of petfood other than raw petfood (GBHC565)
• Animal by products for the manufacture of products for uses outside the feed chain for farmed animals, for product (GBHC580) – suspension only applicable to products that cannot comply with all health certificate attestations

Contact point for enquiries

Email: bbtp-issue-triage@defra.gov.uk

 imports@apha.gov.uk

Imports and EU Trade Team