The recent German Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) incursion is still a live situation that the department is following closely and adapting import conditions to manage the biosecurity risk posed by FMD while facilitating imports where safe to do so.
Goods that do not require country FMD freedom are not impacted by Germany’s FMD incursion, including:
- goods containing less than 10% dairy by dry weight
- chocolate
- lactose when imported for human consumption
Goods that are impacted by Germany’s FMD incursion generally require an import permit, for example dairy. These goods will have a condition on the permit stating that the goods must be sourced, processed, manufactured and exported from FMD free countries.
Goods that meet the import permit conditions (i.e. are accompanied by a government issued health certificate attesting to Germany being FMD free) and have been manufactured before the 14 November will be assessed on a case-by-case basis but are likely to be eligible for import.
Goods that have been manufactured after 14 November (during Germany’s FMD exclusion period) will be assessed on a case-by-case basis but are unlikely to be allowed to be imported. Goods that are not eligible for import must be exported or disposed of as biosecurity waste.
Notes
- Importers and brokers that are unsure of the status of their goods should contact [email protected]
- Put in subject Line: German FMD <insert request>
- Make sure documents, where appropriate, indicate clearly the last manufacturing date
- Testing upon arrival for FMD is not an option
Please refer to NNF 2025/020 for the initial advice.