People travelling to the Isle of Man from the European Union (EU) have been banned from importing certain types of sheep and goat commodities.

The strict controls, which also include postal imports, will prohibit the likes of meat, cheese and milk.

The ban has been introduced to safeguard Manx animals from the highly contagious infection ‘peste des petits ruminants’ (PPR), also known as ‘goat plague’.

In recent months, the virus has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of sheep and goats in mainland Europe, and restrictions are already in place that prevent the import of live sheep and goats from affected areas.

However, it does not affect people.

Dr Amy Beckett, the island’s chief veterinary officer, said: ‘The measures are designed to prevent an outbreak in the Isle of Man, which could lead to animal suffering and be very damaging for our farming and livestock industry.

‘Everyone can do their bit to help stop animal diseases spreading to this country by simply not bringing any sheep or goat products back from a PPR affected country (currently Romania and Greece in the EU).

‘Also if you are visiting EU/EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries not affected by PPR, you must not bring back sheep or goat products unless commercially produced and packaged to EU standards.’

Similar measures have also been introduced in England, Scotland and Wales.

Clare Barber, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, added: ‘The strict measures have been introduced to help limit the spread of the disease and will remain in place until PPR no longer presents a risk to Manx sheep and goat populations.’

There is already a ban in place for certain types of goat and sheep products coming from the UK, following confirmed cases of the bluetongue disease in southern England last week.