The UK government has now officially recognised Germany as free from foot-and-mouth (FMD) without vaccination, following a case of the disease near Berlin in January.
The decision follows an assessment of the situation by UK authorities and reflects confidence in Germany's containment measures and disease control.
As a result, import restrictions on certain commodities from the previously designated containment zone in Germany have now been lifted.
It means that exports of FMD-susceptible animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, deer and buffalo, as well as related products like meat and dairy, may now resume.
However, personal imports of meat and dairy from the European Union remain prohibited, following FMD outbreaks in Slovakia and Hungary in March.
Germany's first case of FMD in 35 years was detected in a herd of water buffalo in Hönow, near Berlin, on 11 January.
A 72-hour animal transport ban was enacted for the state of Brandenburg, while a livestock cull was ordered for a farm nearby the outbreak.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals.
It causes significant economic losses due to production losses, such as reduced milk yields, as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries.
Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) emphasised that if the FMD situation in the EU changes, the UK will reinstate protective measures as necessary to safeguard domestic biosecurity.
Travellers are still barred from bringing in items such as cheese, milk and sandwiches into Britain for personal use from the EU – regardless of packaging or whether the goods were purchased at duty free.
Defra said these restrictions are in place to protect the health of British livestock, farmers’ livelihoods and national food security.
FMD is a notifiable disease in the UK, and suspected cases must be reported immediately.
