Germany’s federal agriculture ministry announced on Tuesday that the United States and Canada have lifted their bans on importing animals and animal products from Germany.
The restrictions were first imposed after a single outbreak of foot‑and‑mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed in a cattle farm in Brandenburg in January 2025. With the opening, fresh meat, processed meat products, composite foods, and dairy items such as cheese can now again be exported to those markets.
Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer (CSU) said the effort to combat FMD had paid off, and that Canada and the U.S. were the next countries to remove their import limits. “By reopening and gaining access to key markets, we are gradually accomplishing a central element of our agri‑export strategy” Rainer added. He highlighted the positive impact for the agricultural and livestock sectors as well as food producers.
This was the first confirmed FMD case in Germany in more than 35 years, affecting water buffalo in the Märkisch‑Oderland district of Brandenburg. No further cases were reported. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reinstated Germany’s “FMD‑free without vaccination” status in April 2025, after which several states began to lift their import restrictions.
