The sovereign island of Jersey has suspended the import of livestock, fresh meat, dairy products and animal by-products from Germany, following the confirmed outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) there on January 10, 2025.
The suspension, which came into effect on Thursday (January 23), was announced via a statement from the veterinary officer, in a bid to “protect the island’s livestock” and to prevent a similar outbreak from occurring in Jersey.
The restrictions will also apply to animal-derived items transported from Germany via postal service or in luggage, be they for personal consumption or otherwise.
The veterinary officer confirmed that while there are no known cases of FMD in Jersey currently, the state’s Animal Health and Welfare team will continue to monitor the situation in Germany to determine whether any additional restrictions will be required.
The state has classified FMD as a “severe contagious viral disease” affecting cloven hoofed animals including cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.
While authorities have reassured islanders that FMD poses no such transmissible risk to humans, its potentially devastating effects upon infected animals can have a “significant economic impact” on the state.
It is also a legally notifiable disease, therefore, clinical signs of infection, once identified, must be reported to the relevant authorities.
While signs of infection vary between the type of animal infected, the two universal clinical signs of FMD infection are a fever and the development of blisters, mainly around the mouth and the feet.
According to the government, the disease spreads through direct or indirect contact with an infected animal, and is present in blister fluid; saliva; urine; dung; milk and exhaled air.
At the height of the disease, the virus is also present in the blood and in all parts of the animal’s body.
The ban follows a similar decision taken in the UK on January 14, which was also imposed on the import of cattle, pigs and sheep from Germany, as well as their byproducts, to mitigate the risk of infection in the UK.
The following commodities are included in the list of banned imports from Germany:
- Fresh meat;
- Meat products;
- Milk;
- Dairy products;
- Colostrum;
- Certain composite products.
The government have confirmed that certain low risk composite products, including chocolate, confectionery, bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta and food supplements containing less than 20% animal products, will be exempt from the restrictions.
As it stands, there is only one confirmed case of FMD in Germany, which was detected in a herd of water buffalo in the state of Brandenburg earlier in the month.
This has been the first known case of FMD in Germany since 1988, according to German authorities.
