The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the import ban put in place on Hungary, following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease in the country in March 2025, has been removed.
The decision announced yesterday (September 18, 2025) follows “rigorous technical assessment” of the measures applied in Hungary and their current disease situation.
However, Defra has stated that it “will not hesitate to take necessary action” if the situation changes.
With the ban lifted, commercial imports from Hungary of cattle, pigs, sheep, deer, buffaloes and their products, such as meat and dairy, are now allowed to enter the UK once again.
Restrictions on personal imports of packaged and unpackaged meat, meat products, milk and dairy products, certain composite products, and animal by products of pigs and ruminants from the EU single market area, which includes Hungary, will remain.
Hungary
The first outbreak of FMD in Hungary this year was identified on March 7, which led to an immediate ban on commercial imports into the UK.
Four outbreaks on different farms followed, with all five outbreaks occurring in the county of Gyor-Moson-Sopron,
The five outbreaks, between them, affected over 19,000 animals and 260,000 tests was carried out on 2,900 farms across Hungary, as a result.
On June 9, the country’s National Food Chain Safety Office said that the disease has been successfully contained on June 9.
FMD
Foot-and-mouth disease poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals.
Defra is urging livestock keepers to “be absolutely rigorous” about their biosecurity and to report immediately if they suspect FMD in their livestock.
Farmers and livestock owners can report suspected cases within their livestock by calling:
- 03000 200 301 in England;
- 0300 303 8268 in Wales;
- the local Field Services Office in Scotland
