UPDATE: Import Alert: Foot-and-Mouth Disease Restrictions for Animal Commodities Originating from or Transiting Germany
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service sent this bulletin at 01/22/2025 02:01 PM ESTUPDATE: Import Alert: Foot-and-Mouth Disease Restrictions for Animal Commodities Originating from or Transiting Germany
Issuance Date: January 21, 2025
2:50 PM, U.S. Eastern
Effective Date: November 3, 2024
The following is an update to the Import Alert issued on January 13, 2025. APHIS is revising the effective date of the restrictions based on updated epidemiological information.
Effective November 3, 2024, and until further notice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS) is restricting the importation of certain animal commodities originating from or transiting Germany based on the confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in water buffalos.
Restrictions
Live ruminants, camelids, swine, hedgehogs, tenrecs, dogs, horses:
APHIS prohibits the importation of live ruminants, camelids, swine, hedgehogs, tenrecs, and their germplasm originating from or transiting through Germany.
APHIS will permit the importation of dogs from Germany if their fur and bedding is free of excessive dirt, hay, or straw. The dog should be bathed as soon as it reaches its destination and kept separate from all livestock for five days after entering the United States.
Horses from Germany, including horses that have contact with horses from Germany at any time within the five days of German residency (including transport and in holding facilities), must complete the established FMD protocol. This includes no direct or indirect contact with domestic or wild ruminants or swine for a minimum of five days before entering the USDA quarantine facility and pre-export decontamination of horses, their hooves, and accompanying equipment, as well as additional decontamination in an APHIS-approved import quarantine facility upon arrival. Horses transiting Germany will be required to complete the FMD protocol upon arrival. Please note that horses that have resided in an FMD-free country for a minimum of five days after residing in Germany do not need to complete the FMD protocol.
Processed porcine, ruminant, camelid, hedgehog, and tenrec products and by-products (including milk):
- If arriving as cargo, must be accompanied by VS import permit and/or government certification confirming that the products or by-products were treated in accordance with APHIS requirements.
- If arriving in passenger baggage,
- must be shelf stable as a result of APHIS-approved packaging and cooking (for example, packed in hermetically sealed containers and fully cooked by a commercial method after such packing to produce articles that are shelf stable without refrigeration), OR
- must be accompanied by a VS import permit and/or government certification confirming that the products or by-products were treated in accordance with APHIS requirements.
Unprocessed porcine, ruminant, camelid, hedgehog, and tenrec products and by-products (including milk):
- If arriving as cargo, importation is prohibited with limited exceptions. In some cases, eligible unprocessed porcine, ruminant, and camelid products and by-products can be imported if consigned directly from the port of arrival to an eligible USDA-approved establishment. There are no USDA-approved establishments for milk/milk products.
- If arriving in passenger baggage, importation is prohibited, except for trophies that are fully taxidermy finished or consigned directly to an eligible USDA-approved establishment.
More information
More information is available on the APHIS website:
- Specific information about live animal import requirements for all species regulated by APHIS VS can be found on the Bringing Live Animals and Germplasm into the United States From Another Country (Import) website.
- Specific information about animal product import requirements for commodities regulated by APHIS VS can be found on the Animal Product Imports website.
- A list of regions APHIS recognizes as affected by foot-and-mouth disease can be found on the USDA APHIS Animal Health Status of Regions website.
- For additional information about live animal imports regulated by other Agencies, please check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and/or USDA APHIS Animal Care to ensure import requirements of those agencies are met, when applicable.
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