Guidance

24 July 2025: Lumpy skin disease in France and Italy - lifting of restrictions on certain thermised milk and milk products

Updated 25 July 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-veterinary-surgeon-ovs-notes/24-july-2025-lumpy-skin-disease-in-france-and-italy-lifting-of-restrictions-on-certain-thermised-milk-and-milk-products

OVS note number:  2025/52 

Date: 24 July 2025 

Purpose 

To inform you that the requirement for imports from France and Italy of thermised bovine milk products, for human consumption, to have also undergone a maturation process that commenced before 23 May 2025 has now been lifted.  

Background  

Italy confirmed its first case of LSD on 21 June 2025 on a cattle farm in Sardinia: WAHIS. France confirmed its first case of LSD on 29 June 2025 on a cattle farm in Chambéry: WAHIS. 

As a result of these outbreaks, imports of the following bovine commodities from France and Italy were temporarily suspended through amendments to the relevant third country lists (see OVS notes 2025/44 and 2025/48): 

  • live animals   
  • germplasm  
  • offal (except diaphragm and masseter muscles)  
  • raw milk and raw dairy products, including raw colostrum 

Safeguard declarations were published to restrict imports from France and Italy of the following commodities (see OVS notes 2025/47, and 2025/50):

  • hides and skins, unless treated in line with point 2b, c or d of Article 11.9.13 of the WOAH terrestrial code  
  • all animal by-products (except casings, gelatine, collagen, tallow, hooves and horns), unless processed using heat treatment to a minimum internal temperature of 65°C for at least 30 minutes

Imports of bovine dairy products that have undergone a lower heat treatment than pasteurisation  

Under existing import rules, milk products for human consumption that have undergone a heat treatment lower than pasteurisation (i.e. thermisation) are considered neither raw milk products (column A in the milk and milk products list) or pasteurised products (Column B). Instead, they must be imported under General Authorisation IMP/GEN/2024/01 using certificate GBHC416. 

An initial assessment of the LSD risk from thermised bovine milk products determined that these products could continue to be imported under the General Authorisation IMP/GEN/2024/01, as long as they had undergone a process of ripening, ageing or maturation that commenced before 23 May 2025. 

As a result, updated safeguard declarations were published on 10 July 2025 to restrict imports of thermised bovine milk products, for human consumption, that had either a) not been through a maturation process, or b) for which the maturation process had commenced on or after 23 May 2025 (see OVS note 2025/50). 

Following a further assessment of risk, the decision has now been taken to permit imports of bovine milk products for human consumption that have undergone a lower heat treatment than pasteurisation, irrespective of the date of production or the ripening, ageing or maturation process. This means that the requirement for thermised bovine milk products from France and Italy to have also undergone a process of maturation that began before 23 May 2025 no longer applies.   

The relevant safeguards have been updated accordingly today (24 July 2025) and apply from 25 July 2025: 

Italy: 

France: 

Please be aware, restrictions on imports from France and Italy of the following commodities remain in place: 

  • raw bovine milk and dairy products (including colostrum), which continue to be restricted through the approved country list
  • milk and milk products not intended for human consumption (i.e. animal by-products), which continue to be restricted unless treated to a minimum internal temperature of 65°C for at least thirty minutes, as set out in the safeguard declarations

Acceptable supporting document 

Bovine milk products that have undergone a lower heat treatment than pasteurisation should be imported on certificate GBHC416 and be accompanied by supporting documentation (such as a manufacturing certificate or statement) detailing the heat treatment applied.  

Contact point for enquiries 

Email: imports@apha.gov.uk 

Imports and EU Trade Team

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