The potential risks to animal health from imported sheep and goat meat

Alerted by outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and the swine fevers which have been attributed to international trade in meat, regulators have tended to adopt conservative policies with respect to the importation of meat. However, for disease introduction to occur as a result of meat importation, a number of criteria must be satisfied. A qualitative assessment of the risks posed by sheep and goat meat leads to the conclusion that, with the possible exception of foot and mouth disease there is little likelihood that Office International des Epizooties List A or List B diseases would be spread through trade in adequately matured meat obtained from animals which have passed veterinary ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections.