Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in Germany

Germany has been removed from the Australia’s Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) – free country list, following an outbreak reported on 10th January 2025, and applies immediate biosecurity controls and assessments on goods imported from FMD-susceptible species from Germany to Australia since 14 November 2024.

What does this mean?

Import conditions have been placed on the following commodities:

• Dairy that is sourced, manufactured or exported from Germany.
• Personal dairy and meat food items imported as passenger personal effects or through the mail into Australia from Germany.
• Reproductive material derived from cattle, sheep, goats, zoo bovids, giraffe or elephants sourced or exported from Germany.
• Veterinary therapeutics containing or derived from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine or camelid materials sourced, manufactured or exported from Germany.
• Pet food and stock feed containing or derived from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine or camelid materials sourced, manufactured or exported from Germany.
• 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 Germany.

What happens next?

Any commercial dairy consignment or personal quantities of dairy and meat food items from Germany will be assessed upon arrival in Australian territory and potentially subject to biosecurity measures.

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 assessed on a case-by-case basis and potentially subject to biosecurity measures. Assessment may include consideration of whether the product was sourced, manufactured or exported before 14 November 2024. Goods that do not pose an unacceptable level of biosecurity risk may be released from biosecurity control.

However, goods that are assessed as having an unacceptable level of biosecurity risk may be subject to biosecurity measures such as export, treatment or destruction.

06-2025: Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in Germany - DAFF

DAFF Changes to the Import Conditions for New and Aged/Used Oversize Tyres

What has changed?

The changes are:

• to make the use of S-methoprene briquettes a mandatory requirement for all oversize tyres (new and aged/used) arriving in Australia from all countries, to manage the risk of on arrival exotic mosquito emergence, and
• to change the definition of ‘aged’ oversize tyres from ‘manufactured within six months of arrival into Australian territory’ to ‘manufactured within six months prior to loading on the export vessel’, to assist stakeholders in effectively managing treatment of their goods prior to export, should it be required.

All consignments of new and aged/used oversize tyres will continue to be subject to unpack and inspection on arrival as per existing import conditions.

These changes will come into effect on 1 February 2025. Any tyres shipped on 1 February 2025 and after will need to adhere to the new requirements.

293-2024: Changes to Import Conditions for New and Aged/Used Oversize Tyres - DAFF

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your local Maersk representative.