Australia has tightened biosecurity controls on a wide range of products from Greece after foot-and-mouth disease was detected on the island of Lesvos. The measure is already impacting import and export activities linked to Greece’s livestock sector.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry issued a notice to importers and intermediaries who have imported, or plan to import, products containing or derived from species susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease into Australia from Greece from February 15, 2026. These species include cattle, sheep, pigs, deer, and camelids.
The decision followed Greece’s notification to the World Organisation of Animal Health on March 17, 2026 after authorities identified the outbreak a day earlier at a cattle farm in the Pelopi area of northeastern Lesvos.
Australia drops Greece from FMD-free status list
After completing a risk assessment, Australian authorities determined Greece should no longer be considered free from foot-and-mouth disease as of February 15, 2026. As a result, Australia removed Greece from its list of countries recognized as free from foot-and-mouth disease. It also removed Greece from the list of countries approved for natural casings derived from bovine, caprine, ovine, or porcine animals.
That decision widens the impact well beyond live animal trade. It now affects food imports, veterinary products, laboratory materials, and agricultural supply chains that rely on animal-derived ingredients from Greece.
Greek products affected by Australia’s restrictions
According to the Australian notice, the affected goods include dairy products such as cheeses sourced, manufactured, or exported from Greece. The restrictions also cover personal dairy and meat food items brought into Australia from Greece in passenger luggage or by mail.
Other affected items include casings from sheep or goats produced, sourced, or exported from Greece, as well as reproductive material from cattle, sheep, goats, and certain zoo animals, such as bovids, giraffes, and elephants, sourced or exported from the country.
Furthermore, Australia’s measures cover veterinary therapeutics containing ingredients derived from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, cervine, or camelid animals domiciled in Greece. They also cover pet food and stock feed containing or derived from the same categories of animal materials.
The notice covers laboratory goods containing material derived from foot-and-mouth disease-susceptible species sourced from Greece, as well. These goods include test kits, animal fluids and tissues, culture media, environmental samples, and other laboratory materials.
Foot-and-mouth outbreak on Lesvos prompted Australia’s response
Australia took action after the outbreak on Lesvos, where Greek authorities imposed emergency containment measures following confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease on March 16. The Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food imposed strict controls on livestock products from Lesvos. The restrictions apply not only to current production but also retroactively to products produced on the island or moved off Lesvos beginning on January 15, 2026.
Authorities established a three-kilometer (1.8-mile) protection zone around the infected farm, a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) surveillance zone, and a wider restricted zone covering the rest of the island. Those measures will remain in effect until May 15, 2026.
Foot-and-mouth outbreak in Greece widens trade fallout
Although the outbreak remains limited to Lesvos, the implications are no longer local. Australia’s decision shows how a single outbreak can quickly alter the trading status of an entire country, especially when it involves a highly contagious livestock disease such as foot-and-mouth.
As a result, companies handling Greek dairy, meat-related goods, animal by-products, feed materials, reproductive products, and specialized laboratory imports now face tighter scrutiny and possible disruption across multiple categories.