Guidance

6 October 2025: Outbreak of lumpy skin disease in Spain

Updated 22 October 2025

OVS note number:  2025/66 

Date: 6 October 2025 

Purpose 

To inform you that, due to a recent outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in Spain, imports of the following bovine commodities should be held:  

• live animals  
• germplasm  
• offal (except diaphragm and masseter muscles)  
• raw milk and raw dairy products (including raw colostrum)  
• various animal by-products (ABPs), including untreated hides and skins, unless treated to mitigate the risk of LSD

Background 

Spain has notified WOAH of its first case of lumpy skin disease (LSD), which was confirmed on 3 October 2025, on a cattle farm located in the municipality of Castelló d’Empuries, in the province of Girona: WAHIS. 

As a result of this outbreak, Spain has lost its LSD-free status. 

In response to this outbreak, Defra is taking action to suspend imports of the following bovine commodities from the whole territory of Spain:   

• live animals  
• germplasm  
• offal (except diaphragm and masseter muscles)  
• raw milk and raw dairy products (including raw colostrum)  
• various ABPs unless treated to mitigate the risk of LSD (see Annex I for a list of acceptable treatments and ABPs that should not be held). 

A separate OVS note will be issued when these restrictions have been implemented. In the meantime, any consignments of these products should be held. 

Imports from Spain of bovine meat derived from skeletal muscle are not impacted by this measure and should not be held.   

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

Please note that under normal import conditions 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.  

These products are not restricted following the LSD outbreak in Spain. However, they need to be accompanied by supporting documentation (such as a manufacturing certificate or statement) detailing the heat treatment applied to the milk is above 40°C, i.e. that the milk or milk product does not fall within the definition of raw milk as defined in Annex 1, point 4.1 of Regulation 853/2004. 

Bluetongue 

Note, Spain’s Bluetongue Virus 3 (BTV-3) status requires compliance with Supplementary Guarantee (SG) ‘A’ (as denoted in column 6 of the Live Ungulates list). BTV-3 vaccines authorised for use in the EU cannot currently be used for trade due to the lack of information on the duration of immunity of the vaccine meaning they cannot comply with the relevant part of the certificate. Consequently, imports of live ruminants from Spain cannot be certified. 

Contact point for enquiries 

Email:  imports@apha.gov.uk  

Imports and EU Trade Team 

Annex I 

Imports from Spain of the following animal by-products (ABPs) of bovine origin are permitted and should not be held: 

• gelatine 
• photogelatine 
• collagen 
• hooves 
• horns 
• canned petfood 
• processed animal protein 
• hydrolysed protein 
• dicalcium phosphate 
• tricalcium phosphate 
• blood products for use as animal feed provided they have undergone any of processing methods numbered 1 to 5 as set out in Chapter III of Annex IV of Regulation 142/2011 
• blood products for use outside the feed chain provided they have undergone one of the processing methods set out in point 3.1(a) of Section 2, Chapter II of Annex XIV to Regulation 142/2011 
• rendered fats provided they have undergone any of the processing methods numbered 1 to 5 as set out in Chapter III of Annex IV of Regulation 142/2011 
• fat derivatives provided they have undergone either 
• one of the treatments set on in point 1 of Chapter XI of Annex XIII to Regulation 142/2011 
• any of the processing methods numbered 1 to 5 as set out in Chapter III of Annex IV of Regulation 142/2011 
• processed petfood other than canned petfood provided it has undergone one of the treatments set out at points (i), (ii), (iii) or (v) of paragraph 3(b) of Chapter II of Annex XIII to Regulation 142/2011 
• dog chews made from hides and skins provided they have either: 
  • undergone one of the treatments set out in points 2b, c or d of Article 11.9.13 of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code 
  • been heat treated to 90°C through their substance 
  • been heat treated at 65°C for 30 minutes 
• dog chews made from animal by-products provided they have been heat treated to 90°C through their substance 
• hides and skins if they have been subjected to any of the following treatments, as per points 2b, c or d of Article 11.9.13 of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code: 
  • dry-salted or wet-salted for a period of at least 14 days prior to dispatch 
  • salted for a period of at least 7 days in sea salt and 2% sodium carbonate
  • dried for a period of at least 42 days at a temperature of at least 20°C 
• game trophies that are made from or containing bovine hides or skins provided they have undergone one of the treatments set out in points 2b, c or d of Article 11.9.13 of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code 
• game trophies or other preparations solely comprising bones, horns, hooves, claws, antlers or teeth provided both the following are true: 
  • they have been immersed in boiling water for an appropriate time so as to ensure that any matter other than bone, horns, claws, antlers or teeth is removed 
  • any part consisting of bone has subsequently been disinfected with hydrogen peroxide 
• milk, milk-based and milk-derived products provided they have either: 
  • undergone any of the treatments set out in points B.1.1, 1.2, 1.3 or 1.4a of Section 4 of Chapter 2 of Annex X to Regulation 142/2011 
  • complied with points B.2 and B.4 of Section 4 of Chapter 2 of Annex X to Regulation 142/2011 
  • in the case of whey products, complied with points B.2, B.4 and B.3(a) of Section 4 of Chapter 2 of Annex X to Regulation 142/2011 
• bones or bone products for use other than as feed material, organic fertilisers or soil improvers provided they are accompanied by a commercial document stamped by the Competent Authority of the exporting country supervising the establishment of origin certifying that the product has been subjected to one of treatments referred to in points (iii), (iv) and (v) of paragraph 2(d) in Section 7 of Chapter II in Annex XIV to Regulation 142/2011 
• animal by-products, other than those listed in paragraphs above, which have undergone heat treatment to a minimum internal temperature of 65°C for at least 30 minutes 

These restrictions do not apply if the animal by-products are either: 

• intermediate products 
• research and diagnostic samples 
• trade samples