Animal Health

Hong Kong CFS Suspends Poultry Imports From Pleszewski District, Poland

In May 2026 Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety suspended imports of poultry meat, products and eggs from Poland’s Pleszewski District following notification of a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak there. The move creates immediate market-access constraints for Polish poultry exporters and Hong Kong importers, who will need to adjust sourcing and track further animal health updates that may expand, tighten, or later relax these controls.

25 May 2026, 18:23info.gov.hkHong Kong SAR ChinaPoland

Japan Amends Livestock Infectious Diseases Prevention Act And CSF Control Measures

Japan has promulgated a special package of amendments to the Act on Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control and related regulations and guidance, including measures on classical swine fever (CSF), via Official Gazette Special Extra No. 26 on 19 May 2026. This package may change legal expectations for livestock disease control and designated veterinary pharmaceuticals in Japan, so producers and suppliers should review the Japanese texts to understand any new obligations.

25 May 2026, 18:20kanpo.go.jpJapan

EFSA Assesses Safety and Efficacy of L-Valine Feed Additive Produced With Corynebacterium Glutamicum CCTCC M 20232578

In May 2026, EFSA’s FEEDAP Panel issued a scientific opinion supporting the safety and efficacy of an L-valine feed additive produced with non-genetically modified Corynebacterium glutamicum strain CCTCC M 20232578 for use in animal feed under the EU feed-additives regime. This opinion underpins forthcoming authorisation decisions and signals practical constraints for operators, notably avoiding use via drinking water, considering rumen-protection for ruminants, and addressing outstanding worker-safety data.

25 May 2026, 17:13efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.comEuropean Union

Sweden Phases In Veterinary Treatment Reporting Under Jordbruksverket Regulation D 36

Sweden’s Board of Agriculture is phasing in mandatory reporting of veterinarians’ medicinal treatments under regulation D 36, starting in October 2025 and extending to more animal species from January 2026. This creates a new compliance workload for veterinary practices and livestock sectors while strengthening surveillance of animal health and antibiotic use for national oversight and EU reporting.

25 May 2026, 17:11jordbruksverket.seSweden

US FDA Seeks OMB Review of Adverse Event Reporting Information Collection for Approved New Animal Drugs

FDA has sent its adverse event reporting information collection for approved new animal drugs (OMB Control No. 0910-0284) to OMB for final review under the Paperwork Reduction Act, with public comments due by 22 June 2026. This extends existing postmarketing safety reporting and recordkeeping requirements for animal drug sponsors and feed manufacturers while confirming significantly higher expected reporting and recordkeeping burdens as product use and associated case volumes grow.

25 May 2026, 15:35federalregister.govUnited States

EU Council Starts Procedure To Consult EESC and CoR on European Biotech Act Proposal

In May 2026, the Council’s General Secretariat launched a short silence procedure to approve consulting the EU’s advisory committees on the proposed European Biotech Act, which would create an EU framework for biotechnology and biomanufacturing in health and amend key food and medicines regulations. This marks the file’s move deeper into the Council phase of co-legislation, signalling that biotech, pharma, veterinary and food operators should track ensuing opinions and negotiations that could reshape product authorisation pathways and regulatory oversight.

25 May 2026, 15:28data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

Norwegian Food Safety Authority Confirms Documentation Requirement for New Non‑Medicinal Delousing Methods

Norway’s Food Safety Authority has upheld an order stopping a new warm-water delousing method, confirming that non-medicinal delousing techniques cannot be used commercially until their fish-welfare impacts are documented through scientific trials. This enforcement decision clarifies how Norway’s Animal Welfare Act applies to new aquaculture technologies, signalling that operators and suppliers must treat welfare validation as a hard precondition for rolling out innovative delousing equipment or methods.

23 May 2026, 11:16mattilsynet.noNorway

EEA Joint Committee Decision 3/2026 Incorporates Regulation (EU) 2023/1231 Into Annex I (Veterinary and Phytosanitary Matters) of the EEA Agreement

The EEA Joint Committee has adopted Decision 3/2026 to incorporate, with adaptations, Regulation (EU) 2023/1231 on specific veterinary and phytosanitary rules for movements of certain goods and pet animals into Northern Ireland into Annex I of the EEA Agreement, effective 7 February 2026 subject to notifications. This aligns parts of the EU’s Windsor Framework regime with the EEA Agreement while carving out key provisions and exemptions for the EFTA States, so EEA authorities and agri-food and plant-trade stakeholders should review how the adapted obligations and exclusions (particularly for Iceland and Liechtenstein) shape future control and market-access arrangements.

23 May 2026, 08:56eur-lex.europa.euEuropean UnionEuropean Economic Area

US HHS Announces PACCARB Meeting on 2026–2031 Antibiotic Resistance Action Plan

HHS has announced a 2026 virtual meeting of its Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria to gather expert and public input on the 2026–2031 National Action Plan. The notice creates no new legal duties but offers pharmaceutical, healthcare and antimicrobial-product stakeholders an early chance to shape US priorities on stewardship, surveillance, research incentives and related policy directions before future measures are defined.

23 May 2026, 08:54federalregister.govUnited States

EU Council Working Party To Discuss Animal Transport Welfare Proposal (10–11 June 2026)

The Council of the EU has scheduled the Working Party on Animals and Veterinary Questions to discuss the proposal for a Regulation on the protection of animals during transport on 10–11 June 2026 in Brussels. This marks the start of Council technical-level negotiations on the animal transport proposal, signalling legislative momentum but no new immediate obligations for operators yet.

23 May 2026, 08:47data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

US FSIS Finalises Visual Post-Mortem Inspection Rule for Swine Slaughter Establishments

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a final rule moving all federally inspected swine slaughter establishments to primarily visual post-mortem inspection, eliminating mandatory lymph node incision and viscera palpation and revising inspector staffing standards, effective 60 days after Federal Register publication in May 2026. This change should streamline inspection and allow some staffing efficiencies while maintaining food safety expectations, requiring plants to adjust HACCP documentation, sorter tasks, and training for visual-only swine carcass inspection.

22 May 2026, 16:46public-inspection.federalregister.govUnited States

Netherlands Council of State Upholds Bibob-Based Refusal and Revocation of Pig Farm Environmental Permits

In May 2026 the Netherlands Council of State confirmed that the Province of Flevoland lawfully refused a revision permit and revoked existing environmental permits for a large pig farm in Creil, relying on Bibob integrity rules after serious, long-running animal welfare and environmental violations linked to the owners and financiers. The ruling strengthens the use of Bibob screening in environmental permitting, signalling that operators with structurally non-compliant controllers can lose permits for intensive livestock and waste-processing sites even when this effectively forces business closure.

22 May 2026, 12:12deeplink.rechtspraak.nlNetherlands

EEA Joint Committee Decision 1/2026 Incorporates Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/917 Into Annex I to the EEA Agreement

The EEA Joint Committee has adopted Decision 1/2026 to incorporate EU Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/917 on minimum requirements for veterinary and phytosanitary border control posts into Annex I of the EEA Agreement, effective 7 February 2026. This will align Norwegian and Icelandic border control posts and inspection centres with updated EU infrastructure and listing standards for official controls on live animals and related goods, while excluding certain live animal provisions for Iceland and leaving Liechtenstein outside the decision's scope.

21 May 2026, 06:54eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Economic Area

Japan MAFF Sets 26 May 2026 Entry Into Force For Revised Acetylcysteine Feed Additive Standards

Japan’s agriculture ministry has confirmed that revised standards for acetylcysteine as a feed additive under its feed safety ordinance will take legal effect on 26 May 2026. Feed additive manufacturers and animal feed producers serving Japan should review formulations and documentation against the updated specifications ahead of this date to avoid non-compliance and supply disruption.

21 May 2026, 06:41kanpo.go.jpJapan

Saudi Arabia Temporarily Suspends Poultry Imports From Maine‑et‑Loire, France (SFDA Ref. No. 47932)

Saudi Arabia’s food and drug authority has issued an administrative order dated 12 May 2026 temporarily suspending imports of poultry meat, eggs and their products from the French department of Maine‑et‑Loire, with limited exemptions for certain processed products. This creates immediate trade and supply chain constraints for businesses sourcing poultry from the affected region, which must halt non‑exempt shipments and verify that any processed products meet the specified treatment and certification conditions.

21 May 2026, 06:40docs.wto.orgSaudi ArabiaFrance

Norway Consults on Amendments to Animal Hygiene Regulation to Implement Regulation (EU) 2026/252

Norway’s Food Safety Authority has opened a consultation on amendments to the national animal hygiene regulation to align emergency slaughter rules with EU Regulation (EU) 2026/252, which revises the conditions and veterinary checks for slaughtering unfit animals outside slaughterhouses. Livestock producers, slaughterhouses and meat processors face limited practical change but should review emergency slaughter procedures and veterinary inspection routines ahead of final EEA incorporation and national adoption.

20 May 2026, 19:55hoering.mattilsynet.noNorwayEuropean Union

UK APHA Reverts Export Health Certificate 5673 for Scoured Wool to Morocco

On 19 May 2026, the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency reverted Export Health Certificate 5673 and its guidance for scoured wool exports to Morocco to the previous version. Exporters must again use the reinstated template and guidance when applying for certificates or risk their applications being rejected.

20 May 2026, 19:21gov.ukUnited KingdomMorocco

Hong Kong Suspends Poultry Imports From H5N1-Affected Areas in France and Poland

On 18 May 2026 Hong Kong's food safety authority ordered an immediate suspension of poultry meat, poultry product and egg imports from avian influenza-affected areas in France and Poland. The move disrupts existing trade flows and signals heightened scrutiny of animal disease risks for poultry supply chains serving the Hong Kong market.

20 May 2026, 19:18info.gov.hkHong Kong SAR ChinaFrancePoland

Ukraine Economy Ministry Order No. 5889 Adds Agriculture and Food Safety Projects to 2026 Regulatory Work Plan

In May 2026, Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture adopted Order No. 5889 updating its 2026 regulatory work plan with new agriculture, veterinary, food safety and business support projects scheduled between May and December. These additions foreshadow upcoming draft measures on animal identification, industrial hemp oversight, veterinary medicines, animal feed controls and fee structures, giving agri-food and veterinary businesses early visibility of areas where rules and costs may change.

20 May 2026, 17:50me.gov.uaUkraine

US FDA Issues EUA for Over-the-Counter Dectomax Injectable for New World Screwworm in Dairy Cattle, Horses, Swine, Sheep, and Deer

In May 2026 the US FDA granted an Emergency Use Authorization for over-the-counter Dectomax/Dectomax-CA1 (doramectin injection) to prevent and treat New World screwworm in dairy cattle and to prevent infestations in certain other livestock and deer. The authorization expands treatment options during the ongoing screwworm emergency but imposes strict milk discard and slaughter withdrawal periods, requiring veterinarians, producers, and dairy processors to adjust treatment protocols and residue compliance planning.

20 May 2026, 10:03fda.govUnited States