The United Kingdom has warned that it may impose fresh import restrictions on Botswana beef following the confirmation of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in the country’s North East District, raising concerns over one of Botswana’s key agricultural exports.
In official guidance issued on 30 January 2026 and updated on 5 February, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said consignments of fresh bovine meat and untreated animal by-products from Botswana should be held pending further assessment of the disease situation.
There's more to this story
But to keep reading, we need you to subscribe.
Investigative journalism is an indispensable part of a healthy society, but it's also expensive to produce. We are reliant on subscriptions to fund our work, and while you can enjoy most of our stories for free, a small number of premium features are reserved for subscribers.
You can subscribe for one week, a month or a full year - the choice is yours.
Save 77% on an annual subscription. Click here to find out how.
Existing subscribers can log in to keep reading here.
