On 17 March 2026, Greece notified the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The department has undertaken a risk assessment and determined that Greece should no longer be considered free from FMD from 15 February 2026.
Managing the biosecurity risk to Australia
Australia has removed Greece from the:
- List of FMD-Free Countries
- List of countries for natural casings derived from bovine, caprine, ovine or porcine animals
We are working with impacted importers to vary biosecurity import permits to reflect the new FMD status of Greece, and to restrict the importation of high-risk goods that were sourced, manufactured or processed in Greece after 15 February 2026.
Goods impacted by the outbreak
The outbreak of FMD in Greece will have impacts for a range of goods that contain or are derived from FMD-susceptible species. These include, but are not limited to:
- dairy* including cheese that is sourced, manufactured or exported from Greece
- casings derived from ovine or caprine animals that are sourced, manufactured or exported from Greece
- personal dairy and meat food items imported as passenger personal effects or through the mail into Australia from Greece.
*Note: solid chocolate (including imitation chocolate), specific cheeses (with a permit) and goods containing less than 10% dairy for human consumption can continue to be imported into Australia from Greece.
Any goods in transit will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and potentially subject to biosecurity measures. Assessment may include consideration of whether the product or ingredients were fully finished or exported from Greece before 15 February 2026.
Goods that pose an unacceptable biosecurity risk may be subject to biosecurity measures such as export, treatment or destruction. Importers and brokers who are unsure of the status of their goods should contact imports@aff.gov.au for advice before arranging the export of any goods from Greece to Australia. The department is committed to facilitating ongoing trade where it is safe to do so.
Import conditions for cheese from Greece
The department has already developed import permit conditions for cheese from countries that are not approved by the Director of Biosecurity as being free from FMD.
An import permit for cheese is required and will only be issued for cheese ripened by a method approved by the department, which includes:
- a minimum ripening period of 30-days for pasteurised cheese or 120 days for unpasteurised cheese
- a requirement to obtain a pH of 5.2 or below before and after ripening.
More information about import conditions can be found in the departments Biosecurity Import Conditions and Food Safety Requirements (BICON).
If you choose to apply for a permit, please have the manufacturer complete the product questionnaire linked to the appropriate BICON page and lodge it with your application.
If you have previously imported cheese which meets these conditions that has been impacted by the FMD outbreak in Greece and you are lodging an application, please notify the department (via imports@aff.gov.au) of your application number. Normal application and assessment fees will be applied.
Goods NOT impacted
Goods that do not require country freedom from FMD, include but are not limited to:
- goods containing less than 10% dairy by dry weight and no other ingredients of biosecurity concern for human consumption
- lactose, solid chocolate (including imitation chocolate), and ghee for human consumption
- collagen, with a permit, for human consumption
- retorted dairy, meat and petfood, with a permit.
Impacts on import permit holders
To manage the biosecurity risks to Australia, we have initiated contact with permit holders and permit applicants impacted by the FMD outbreak in Greece. We are now working with importers to vary import conditions to reflect the change in FMD-status.
Importing goods sourced, manufactured or processed in Greece before 15 February 2026
Importers may continue to import goods containing or derived from FMD-susceptible species that were fully finished and packaged for export or exported from Greece prior to 15 February 2026 and where all other import conditions are met.
Importers/brokers will need to supply evidence of the date of sourcing, manufacturing or processing before goods can be released from biosecurity control.
The additional requirements may cause delays in releasing your goods from biosecurity control. If you have impacted consignments, please contact the department at imports@aff.gov.au for assistance.
En route shipment of goods sourced, manufactured and processed in Greece after 15 February 2026
Goods that are assessed as having an unacceptable level of biosecurity risk may be subject to biosecurity measures such as export, treatment 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.
Clarification of composite products and the 15 February 2026 cutoff
The 15 February 2026 cutoff date refers to the date when the dairy component of the goods was sourced, processed or manufactured in Greece.
Viable FMD virus could be introduced into dairy products if contamination with raw milk or other dairy ingredients sourced from infected animals occurs during processing. Accordingly, products manufactured in Greece after 15 February 2026 may not be permitted entry into Australia and may be directed for export, treatment, or destruction.
Dairy ingredients sourced from Greece before the cutoff
If dairy ingredients sourced from Greece were imported to another FMD-free country for processing, the importer or broker will need to be able to demonstrate that the dairy ingredients were fully finished and packaged for export or exported from Greece before 15 February 2026 and link the ingredients to a consignment.
This may include evidence such as commercial documentation specifying when the dairy goods were sourced, processed and/or manufactured in Greece. An import permit is required to import these types of dairy goods.
Chocolate and goods containing dairy
Goods containing less than 10% dairy by dry weight and solid chocolate, including imitation chocolate, for human consumption, can continue to be imported into Australia from Greece. The goods still need to meet the relevant import conditions specified on BICON.
Extruded pet food
Extrusion is not generally considered an acceptable heat treatment to inactivate FMD virus. All import permit applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine the effectiveness of heat treatments.
Double pasteurised or ultra heat-treated dairy goods
Double pasteurisation or UHT is not considered acceptable treatment to inactivate FMD virus. Dairy products from countries that are not considered free from FMD by the Director of Biosecurity are required to be retorted.
Retorting is a process where the goods are sealed in a hermetically sealed container and then heat treated at extreme temperatures for a period to render the goods commercially sterile, achieving an F0 value of 2.8.
Standard retort process parameters include achieving a core temperature of 121.1°C for 2.8 minutes. Retorting is a process that has been proven to inactivate harmful pathogens of concern including FMD virus.
Testing products
Testing products for FMD is not considered an acceptable alternative to sourcing, processing and manufacturing goods in countries that are approved by the Director of Biosecurity as being FMD free.
Regionalisation agreements
Australia does not have established regionalisation agreements for imports from any country for FMD.
To be recognised as FMD free the Australian Government will undertake an evaluation according to the existing policy which outlined in Evaluation of animal health status of countries, zones and compartments for imports of animals and products of animal origin, available on our Import request page.