The Czech Republic has swiftly banned livestock imports from Slovakia after a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak on farms in the neighboring country.
On Thursday, Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný said on the social media platform, X: “Unfortunately, we have information from our Slovak colleagues about the very likely occurrence of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease in two Slovak cattle farms.”
Controls were imposed on the border on Friday morning, including a ban on the import of livestock. Breeders and farmers were also prohibited from entering and having contact with animals from Slovakia, said Výborný.
The affected Slovak cattle farms, containing 1,300 animals, were close to the Hungarian border, where an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was discovered two weeks ago on a farm of 1,400 cattle in the village of Kisbajcs in Hungary, which borders Slovakia, the Brussels-based news website Euractiv reported.
In response to the Hungarian outbreak, the Czech Republic had initially imposed a a ban but lifted it on Monday.
Foot-and-mouth re-emerged in Europe earlier this year, with a case reported in a buffalo herd in Germany in January.
The virus primarily affects cloven-hoofed livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, spreading rapidly among herds. It causes fever, weight loss, and blisters on the feet and in the mouths of the infected animals, which can rupture and lead to lameness.
It is highly contagious and spreads through direct animal-to-animal contact, airborne transmission and contaminated surfaces such as car tires, fodder and boots.
The last known outbreak on the continent occurred in Bulgaria in 2011. The pathogen remains endemic to Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis in the U.K. led to the culling of over six million animals and caused an economic impact estimated at nearly €6 billion.
Controls were imposed on the border on Friday morning, including a ban on the import of livestock. Breeders and farmers were also prohibited from entering and having contact with animals from Slovakia, said Výborný.
The affected Slovak cattle farms, containing 1,300 animals, were close to the Hungarian border, where an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was discovered two weeks ago on a farm of 1,400 cattle in the village of Kisbajcs in Hungary, which borders Slovakia, the Brussels-based news website Euractiv reported.
In response to the Hungarian outbreak, the Czech Republic had initially imposed a a ban but lifted it on Monday.
Foot-and-mouth re-emerged in Europe earlier this year, with a case reported in a buffalo herd in Germany in January.
The virus primarily affects cloven-hoofed livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, spreading rapidly among herds. It causes fever, weight loss, and blisters on the feet and in the mouths of the infected animals, which can rupture and lead to lameness.
It is highly contagious and spreads through direct animal-to-animal contact, airborne transmission and contaminated surfaces such as car tires, fodder and boots.
The last known outbreak on the continent occurred in Bulgaria in 2011. The pathogen remains endemic to Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis in the U.K. led to the culling of over six million animals and caused an economic impact estimated at nearly €6 billion.
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