8 March 2025 (Updated 25 March 2025)
Who does this notice affect?
Importers and brokers who have imported or plan to import goods containing or derived from foot and mouth disease (FMD)-susceptible species (including cattle, sheep, pigs, deer, giraffe, elephants, camelids (alpacas, llamas and camel)) to Australia from Hungary or Slovakia since 3 February 2025.
What is happening?
Following notification from Hungary on 7 March 2025 and Slovakia on 21 March 2025 to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) of an outbreak of FMD the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is working to assess the biosecurity risk to Australia and what this might mean for import conditions for the following impacted commodities:
- Dairy that is sourced, manufactured or exported from Hungary or Slovakia.
- Personal dairy and beef food items imported as passenger personal effects or through the mail into Australia from Hungary or Slovakia.
- Reproductive material derived from cattle, sheep, goats, zoo bovids, giraffe or elephants sourced or exported from Hungary or Slovakia.
- Veterinary therapeutics containing or derived from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine or camelid materials sourced, manufactured or exported from Hungary or Slovakia.
- Pet food and stock feed containing or derived from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine or camelid materials sourced, manufactured or exported from Hungary or Slovakia.
- Laboratory goods containing bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine and camelid fluids and tissues (including but not limited to test kits, animal fluids and tissues, culture media, foetal bovine serum, environmental samples and other laboratory materials) sourced, manufactured or exported from Hungary or Slovakia.
To help mitigate the risk to Australia, Hungary and Slovakia have been removed from the list of FMD-free countries.
Note that peat can continue to be imported into Australia from Hungary or Slovakia provided all biosecurity import conditions can be met. This includes the requirement that the peat not be sourced from an area:
- in which FMD has occurred in the past 12-months or
- within a three (3) kilometre radius of an FMD affected property.
What happens next?
The department has amended its FMD free list to reflect Hungary and Slovakia’s new FMD status. Any commercial dairy consignment or personal quantities of dairy and beef food items from Hungary or Slovakia will be held under biosecurity control, effective immediately.
Over the coming days the department will undertake a detailed assessment of all traded goods from Hungary or Slovakia and may introduce additional import restrictions for commodities, including pet food, stock feed, laboratory reagents and reproductive material.
More information will be made available via BICON alerts, industry advice notices and other official communication channels as this risk assessment progresses.
The department will also directly contact with any permit holders or permit applicants impacted by this outbreak to advise of any potential changes to import conditions that may be required to protect Australia’s livestock production industries.
Goods in transit – any goods in transit will be held and assessed on a case-by-case basis. Generally, product manufactured prior to the 3 February 2025 may be released from biosecurity control if suitable evidence can be supplied to biosecurity officers.
Product manufactured after 3 February 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.
Further information
More information about FMD can be found on the department’s website.
Please contact the department by phone 1800 900 090 or email to imports@aff.gov.au if you have any questions.