Germany’s Ministry of Agriculture announced that strict restrictions on exports of meat and dairy products to regions outside the EU have been imposed after confirming the first case of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock in Germany on January 10th last week.
According to Reuters, German authorities confirmed that the first foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in nearly 40 years occurred at a water buffalo farm on the outskirts of Berlin. Authorities have ordered a six-day suspension of animal transportation to prevent the spread of the disease and to conduct investigations.
Foot-and-mouth disease can cause fever and mouth blisters in cloven-hoofed animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, and goats. Although it poses no threat to humans, eradicating the disease often requires large-scale animal slaughter operations.
The German Federal Ministry of Agriculture stated that, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Germany has lost its “foot-and-mouth disease-free” status, meaning that many veterinary certificates for exports to areas outside the EU will no longer be issued.
As a result, exports of German milk and dairy products, meat and meat products, leather, and blood products are currently “almost impossible.”
German Agriculture Minister Cem Oezdemir emphasized that the top priority is to ensure the disease does not spread.
A spokesperson for the ministry stated on Monday (January 13) that South Korea has stopped importing some German livestock, Seoul has suspended the transport of German pork, and has quarantined 360 tons of pork delivered since December 27. Mexico has also banned the import of German pork products.
The UK government stated that it is in contact with local governments in Germany and the UK to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease through imported goods.
This disease often occurs in the Middle East, Africa, some Asian countries, and South America.
According to WOAH estimates, foot-and-mouth disease is prevalent in 77% of livestock globally, posing a “persistent threat” to countries that are non-endemic but lack a robust vaccination system.
Germany has not had an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease since 1988. The most recent European epidemic occurred in Bulgaria in 2011, resulting in the slaughter of 1,372 wild and domestic animals, with authorities taking six months to resolve the issue.
One of the most devastating European outbreaks occurred in the UK in 2001, leading to the culling of 6.5 million infected and at-risk animals. The direct losses from the epidemic were estimated to exceed £3 billion, with the tourism industry suffering losses of up to £5 billion.
In Germany, livestock products from non-endemic areas can still be traded within the EU. The impact of the restrictions on the economy remains unclear, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture.