Brucella canis: pre-import testing requirements
14 October 2025
The Government has published new safeguard declarations under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 (and equivalent legislation in Scotland and Wales) requiring pre-import testing for Brucella canis for any dog commercially imported from Romania into Great Britain (GB) from 7th October 2025. This includes if there will be sale or transfer of ownership, including for rehoming of rescue animals.
Dogs originating in or dispatched from Romania must have a blood sample taken by an authorised veterinarian in Romania no more than 30 days prior to arrival in GB via the commercial route. The blood sample must be sent to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) National Reference Laboratory (NRL) at Weybridge for serology testing, and both the serum agglutination test (SAT) and the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) must be negative for the dog to be permitted entry into GB.
The new requirements have been introduced to mitigate against the risk of B.canis. Government data from the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) at Weybridge shows that Romania provides the highest total number of identified B. canis infected dogs of any commercially importing country into GB. Since 2020, around half of all positive cases identified in GB have been in imports from Romania.
These commercial import rules must be followed if there will be a sale or transfer of ownership, including to rehome rescue animals – this measure does not apply to non-commercial pet movements from Romania. However, pet owners must follow commercial import rules to travel with more than 5 dogs unless they are attending a competition, show, sporting event or related training.
The changes to Government rules reflect the requirement for appropriate testing of imported dogs that BSAVA have previously outlined and recommended as part of their Scientific Information Document (SID) and joint Policy Position on Brucella canis.
Government Guidance
Government Guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/brucella-canis-testing-dogs-before-import
OVS guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-veterinary-surgeon-ovs-notes/6-october-2025-brucella-canis-testing-requirements-for-commercially-imported-dogs-from-romania
Previous APHA Information
APHA’s Summary Information Sheet (SIS) can be accessed here: Canine brucellosis: general information for veterinary staff
UKHSA Information for the Public, Breeders & Dog Owners: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/brucella-canis-information-for-the-public-and-dog-owners/brucella-canis-information-for-the-public-and-dog-owners
Additional information and resources
BSAVA has collated key resources on B.canis into one easily accessible area, our Brucella canis Hub, which covers information from the BSAVA, other organisations and Government Departments: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/pages/brucella-canis
Previous information on B canis which includes the UKHSA’s HAIRS Risk Assessment covering zoonotic potential and APHA’s FAQs is available here https://bsava.com/article/brucella-canis-government-updates/
Access to the BSAVA Scientific Information Document (SID) is available here https://bsava.com/article/brucella-canis-bsava-scientific-information-document/
BSAVA’s joint Policy Position with BVA, SPVS & BVNA on Brucella canis is available here: https://www.bva.co.uk/media/5573/bva-bsava-spvs-and-bvna-policy-position-on-brucella-canis.pdf