New controls on sheep and goat products to protect against peste des petits ruminants (PPR)

Strict new controls suspending personal imports of certain sheep and goat commodities, such as meat, cheese and milk products, have been announced today (21 August) to safeguard Britain’s sheep and goat populations from outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants (PPR).

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) poses no risk to human health but is a highly contagious disease affecting goats and sheep. In recent months, there have been outbreaks in mainland Europe, and the commercial import of certain commodities is already restricted to prevent the spread of PPR into Great Britain.

The new controls come into force in England from today and in Wales tomorrow, with Scotland soon to follow. They will strengthen the requirements for bringing sheep and goat meat and milk into Great Britain from the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association states, Greenland and Faroe Islands.

It will no longer be permitted to bring unpackaged sheep and goat meat and meat products, or sheep and goat milk and milk products, from these areas. Additionally, commercially produced and packaged sheep and goat milk and milk products are not permitted from Greece or Romania.

These measures will remain in place until PPR no longer presents a risk to GB through the import of those products.

UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Ele Brown said:

“There have been recent outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants in Europe. This poses no risks to humans but causes severe illness in sheep and goats. An outbreak in the UK would lead to animal suffering and be very damaging for our farming and livestock industry.

“Everyone can do their bit to help stop animal diseases spreading to this country by simply not bringing unpackaged meat, cheese and milk on to our shores.”

Everyone can help to stop the spread of PPR to the UK by doing the following:

• If you are visiting PPR-affected countries, do not bring any sheep or goat products back to the UK.
• If you are visiting EU or EFTA countries not affected by PPR, you must not bring back sheep or goat products unless commercially produced and packaged to EU standards.
• Dispose of any leftovers or food waste in secure bins that sheep, goats, or wildlife cannot access.
• Farmers, the public and members of the food industry should practice high biosecurity standards, including never feeding catering waste, kitchen scraps or meat or milk products to sheep and goats, which is illegal and can spread the disease.

The government continually monitors disease outbreaks around the world to assess whether there may be risks for the UK and takes action to limit the risk of the disease reaching our shores.