Hungary steps up foot-and-mouth measures; No new cases reported
The Hungarian Minister of Agriculture, Istvan Nagy, announced new measures to limit the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in the country. At the same time, he assured the public that the situation was under control, and no new outbreaks had been reported.
During a Saturday press conference, Minister Nagy announced the introduction of new measures to combat foot-and-mouth disease. He emphasized that measures in place are effective and no new outbreaks have been detected. On Friday, the government in Budapest established a special task force to tackle the disease.
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Among the measures introduced is a ban on the importation of animals into the Gyor-Moson-Sopron county, where foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks were detected at the beginning of March. The export of animals is permitted only to designated slaughter locations. The police have been engaged in farm inspections, and all animal exhibitions have been banned, resulting in the closure of the local zoo.
Minister Nagy also announced a one-year moratorium on loan repayments for livestock breeders. Currently, in Hungary, there are about 3,500 cattle infected with foot-and-mouth disease. Hungarian authorities remain in constant contact with Slovak authorities, where disease outbreaks have also been detected.
Situation in the region
These are the first cases of foot-and-mouth disease in Hungary since 1973. On Friday, the Slovak Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the sixth outbreak of the disease in the country. In response to the threat, Austria has closed over 20 border crossings with Slovakia and Hungary.
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease that affects both farm and wild animals. Although it poses no threat to humans, in the event of an outbreak, all animals on affected farms must be culled.
