Case of foot-and-mouth disease discovered in Germany

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been reported in Germany.

It is the first outbreak of the disease in the country since 1988, involving a herd of water buffalo in Brandenburg, in the Märkisch Oderland district, on 10 January.

While 14 animals were susceptible, three cases have been confirmed at the organic holding.

See also: Guide to Quarantine Units now in force in Wales  

The virus causes painful blisters inside the mouth and under the hooves and can cause lameness and problems feeding.

Strict measures have been put in place, including an exclusion zone of 3km and a surveillance zone of 10km.

See also: Know How/Foot and mouth 

The German authorities are conducting the relevant investigations to establish the origin of the infection. No animals or their products can be taken out from this area. 

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “The confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany is very worrying news for all livestock keepers across the EU.

“We welcome the swift action taken in reporting the disease so that we can minimise the risk to all livestock keepers, and it is now paramount that we make sure our borders are secure so that we don’t risk importing the disease into the UK.”

Any trade impact on the UK is likely to be limited, according to Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales).

Business analyst Glesni Phillips said: “As imports of both sheepmeat and beef from Germany into the UK are small, it is unlikely that the outbreak will have a direct impact on trade. However, other countries who import large volumes from Germany may look elsewhere for their supply of red meat.”

That will depend on the extent to which they apply “regionalisation”, through which imports may only be restricted from the area affected, rather than the country as a whole.

FMD in GB

Great Britain last had outbreaks of FMD in 2001 and 2007.

Officially, there were 2,000 cases in the 2001 UK outbreak, and it was reported that more than six million sheep, cattle and pigs were slaughtered.

It took nine months to bring the situation under control and is said to have cost the UK’s public sector £3bn, and the private sector £5bn.

British authorities made immediate reforms in a bid to prevent the virus from returning, including a ban on feeding animals with catering waste or kitchen scraps.

Defra also increased its monitoring of disease outbreaks around the world and the risks they pose to Britain, working with the UK Border Agency.

Another outbreak on a Surrey farm in 2007 was met with robust action and a total of eight cases were confirmed overall.

The government subsequently introduced a six-day standstill policy to prevent the spread of diseases.

If any new cattle, sheep or goats are brought on to a farm, none can leave for six days. For pigs the standstill is 20 days.

Anyone who spots a suspected case is legally obliged to inform the Animal and Plant Health Agency.