Central Europe calls for EU coordination in combating foot-and-mouth disease

Central Europe calls for EU coordination in combating foot-and-mouth disease

PRAGUE, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Central European states are seeking European Union (EU) wide coordination to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Czech Minister of Agriculture Marek Vyborny said on Wednesday. Read full story

The government has taken further protective measures due to the spread of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease. The ban on imports from Hungary, Slovakia and parts of Austria will no longer apply only to live animals and animal products, but also to feed and plant commodities. This was announced on Wednesday by Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL). He assured that the infection has not yet been confirmed in the Czech Republic.

Although foot-and-mouth disease has not yet reached the Czech Republic, the Safari Park in Dvůr Králové has already implemented a number of preventive measures. The giraffe pavilion is closed. Cars and visitors must now be disinfected, and Saturday's Safari Run, for which 1,100 runners had registered, has been cancelled due to concerns about the introduction of the disease.

Due to the recent outbreaks of the foot-and-mouth disease virus, fairs and events featuring all animal species are prohibited in the restricted areas. Therefore, one of the weekend dog shows will also be canceled.

Johannes Schmuckenschlager, President of the Bauernbund in Lower Austria, and Bauernbundobmann Stefan Pernkopf, address a dramatic appeal to the population to refrain from travelling to affected areas in the coming weeks. AUSTRIA. The foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) causes concern among farmers and authorities. The outbreaks in Slovakia and Hungary are still not under control.

Even if the farms are restored, meat and milk will only start to be produced after a long time. Depending on the different types of farms, it takes seven months to two and a half years. The Euromilk dairy in Velkomeder, which purchased all its milk from the first farms infected with foot-and-mouth disease in southern Slovakia, calculated that it would lose up to 12 million euros in sales this year alone. The losses are large […]