Reactions to the emergence of Foot and Mouth Disease in Germany

Following confirmation on Friday 10 January of the presence of foot-and-mouth disease on a backyard farm with 14 water buffaloes in Hoppegarten, Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg, several countries have taken precautions, including the Netherlands, Argentina and South Korea. The Netherlands has not transported any cattle directly from Brandenburg since 1 December, but more than 3,600 calves from Brandenburg have entered the Netherlands via collection centres elsewhere in Germany and are spread across more than 125 farms in the country. In view of the new situation, the Dutch government has decided to ban the import of fattening calves from Germany, and producers of other species susceptible to the disease, such as pigs, sheep and goats, have also been warned. The South Korean Ministry of Agriculture has announced an immediate ban on imports of pork from Germany. Furthermore, all German pork products shipped into the country since 27 December will be tested for the foot-and-mouth ...