Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the risk of incursion of Foot and Mouth disease to the UK.

Following the confirmation of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Germany on the 10 January 2025, Government has taken decisive and rapid action to protect the UK by suspending the commercial import of susceptible animals and untreated products of animal origin from Germany and restricting personal imports of animal products from across the EU.

The risk of incursion of FMD to Great Britain has increased to MEDIUM. The Animal and Plant Health Agency has published on GOV.UK its preliminary outbreak assessment which contains further information on the evidence which supports this risk level.

The UK has been free of FMD without vaccination since 2007 and has robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of this disease as set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.

The Government will be decisive and take the necessary action to protect our farmers from FMD.