19 December 2025
Updated 22 January 2026
Who does this notice affect?
Importers and brokers who have imported or have a plan to import goods containing or derived from foot and mouth disease (FMD)-susceptible species (including cattle, sheep, pigs, deer, and camelids (alpacas, llamas and camel)) to Australia from Cyprus since 8 November 2025.
What has changed?
On 16 December 2025, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry received preliminary reports of outbreaks of FMD on the island of Cyprus.
To ensure that the biosecurity risks to Australia are managed, the department has undertaken a risk assessment and determined, as a precautionary measure, to remove Cyprus from its FMD-free country list and to suspend imports that require country freedom from FMD effective from 8 November 2025.
To manage the biosecurity risk to Australia, Cyprus has been removed from the FMD-free country list, List of countries for natural casings derived from animals, the list of countries approved for cervine fluids and tissues and the list of countries approved for camelid fluids and tissues.
Impacted goods include:
- Dairy* that is sourced, manufactured or exported from Cyprus, excluding Halloumi style cheese (see details below).
- Cheese, excluding Halloumi style cheese, that is not ripened for 30 days and reaches a pH of 6 or below that is sourced, manufactured or exported from Cyprus.
- Personal dairy and meat food items imported as passenger personal effects or through the mail into Australia from Cyprus.
- Reproductive material derived from cattle, sheep, goats, zoo bovids, giraffe or elephants sourced or exported from Cyprus.
- Veterinary therapeutics containing ingredients derived from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine or camelid animals domiciled in Cyprus.
- Pet food and stock feed containing or derived from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine or camelid materials sourced from animals domiciled in Cyprus.
- Laboratory goods containing cervine and camelid fluids and tissues (including but not limited to test kits, animal fluids and tissues, culture media, environmental samples and other laboratory materials) sourced from Cyprus.
*Note: solid chocolate (including imitation chocolate), ripened cheese and goods containing less than 10% dairy for human consumption can continue to be imported into Australia from the island of Cyprus.
Update to import conditions for high temperature scalded cheese including Halloumi style cheese
The department has introduced new import permit conditions for high temperature scalded cheese, (which includes Halloumi style cheese) for human consumption. An import permit is required and import conditions include:
- the milk from which the cheese is made must be sourced from bovines and/or ovines and/or caprines
- the milk from which the cheese is made must be pasteurised by an approved temperature and time.
- the curd from which the cheese is made must have been heat treated at a temperature of no less than 90°C for a minimum of 30 minutes.
If you import Halloumi style cheese that meet these conditions, you may apply for a non-standard assessment of your goods via the BICON pathway for Dairy — Cheese — High temperature scalded cheese.
If you choose to apply for a permit, please have the manufacturer complete the product questionnaire linked to the high temperature scaled cheese BICON page and lodge it with your application. If you previously imported Halloumi style cheese that has been impacted by the FMD incursion on the Island of Cyprus and you are lodging an application, please notify the department (via Imports@aff.gov.au) of your application number to have the assessment expedited. Normal application and assessment fees will be applied.
Future biosecurity arrangements
The department will contact individual import permit holders shortly to advise them on ongoing arrangements for their import permits.
For goods (other than Halloumi style cheese) that are currently in transit to Australia
Any goods in transit will be held and assessed on a case-by-case basis. Generally, product manufactured prior to the 8 November 2025 may be released from biosecurity control if suitable evidence can be supplied to biosecurity officers.
Product manufactured (or collected) after 8 November 2025 may not be permitted entry into Australia and may be directed for re-export or destruction. Importers and brokers that are unsure of the status of their goods should contact imports@aff.gov.au for advice before arranging for the export of any product to Australia.
Halloumi style cheese in transit to Australia
The department is working with the Competent Authority from the Republic of Cyprus to undertake a case-by-case assessments of consignments of Halloumi in transit.
Further information
Please contact the department by phone 1800 900 090 or email to imports@aff.gov.au if you have any questions.