Australia Restricts Imports from Greece After Foot-and-Mouth Cases

Australia has tightened import controls connected Greece’s animal-based products aft the foot-and-mouth outbreak connected Lesvos. Credit: Ilias Markou / AMNA

Australia has tightened biosecurity controls connected a wide scope of products from Greece aft foot-and-mouth illness was detected connected the land of Lesvos. The measurement is already impacting import and export activities linked to Greece’s livestock sector.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry issued a announcement to importers and intermediaries who person imported, oregon program to import, products containing oregon derived from taxon susceptible to foot-and-mouth illness into Australia from Greece from February 15, 2026. These taxon see cattle, sheep, pigs, deer, and camelids.

The determination followed Greece’s notification to the World Organisation of Animal Health connected March 17, 2026 aft authorities identified the outbreak a time earlier astatine a cattle workplace successful the Pelopi country of northeastern Lesvos.

Australia drops Greece from FMD-free presumption list

After completing a hazard assessment, Australian authorities determined Greece should nary longer beryllium considered escaped from foot-and-mouth illness arsenic of February 15, 2026. As a result, Australia removed Greece from its database of countries recognized arsenic escaped from foot-and-mouth disease. It besides removed Greece from the database of countries approved for earthy casings derived from bovine, caprine, ovine, oregon porcine animals.

That determination widens the interaction good beyond unrecorded carnal trade. It present affects nutrient imports, veterinary products, laboratory materials, and cultivation proviso chains that trust connected animal-derived ingredients from Greece.

Greek products affected by Australia’s restrictions

According to the Australian notice, the affected goods see dairy products specified arsenic cheeses sourced, manufactured, oregon exported from Greece. The restrictions besides screen idiosyncratic dairy and nutrient nutrient items brought into Australia from Greece successful rider luggage oregon by mail.

Other affected items see casings from sheep oregon goats produced, sourced, oregon exported from Greece, arsenic good arsenic reproductive worldly from cattle, sheep, goats, and definite zoo animals, specified arsenic bovids, giraffes, and elephants, sourced oregon exported from the country.

Furthermore, Australia’s measures screen veterinary therapeutics containing ingredients derived from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine, oregon camelid animals domiciled successful Greece. They besides screen favored nutrient and banal provender containing oregon derived from the aforesaid categories of carnal materials.

The announcement covers laboratory goods containing worldly derived from foot-and-mouth disease-susceptible taxon sourced from Greece, arsenic well. These goods see trial kits, carnal fluids and tissues, civilization media, biology samples, and different laboratory materials.

Foot-and-mouth outbreak connected Lesvos prompted Australia’s response

Australia took enactment aft the outbreak connected Lesvos, wherever Greek authorities imposed exigency containment measures pursuing confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease connected March 16. The Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food imposed strict controls connected livestock products from Lesvos. The restrictions use not lone to existent accumulation but besides retroactively to products produced connected the land oregon moved disconnected Lesvos opening connected January 15, 2026.

Authorities established a three-kilometer (1.8-mile) extortion portion astir the infected farm, a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) surveillance zone, and a wider restricted portion covering the remainder of the island. Those measures volition stay successful effect until May 15, 2026.

Foot-and-mouth outbreak successful Greece widens commercialized fallout

Although the outbreak remains constricted to Lesvos, the implications are nary longer local. Australia’s determination shows however a azygous outbreak tin rapidly change the trading presumption of an full country, particularly erstwhile it involves a highly contagious livestock illness specified arsenic foot-and-mouth.

As a result, companies handling Greek dairy, meat-related goods, carnal by-products, provender materials, reproductive products, and specialized laboratory imports present look tighter scrutiny and imaginable disruption crossed aggregate categories.