The government has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD), following a further confirmed case in Hungary, close to the Austrian border.
Due to the proximity of the new Hungarian case to the Austrian border, the decision has been made to suspend the commercial import from Austria of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, wild ruminants and porcines (including deer and wild boar), and their untreated products such as fresh meat and dairy.
The UK Government had already taken action to suspend the commercial import of these products from Slovakia, Hungary and Germany.
Action is already underway with local authorities and traders to address possible risks from goods on the way to GB. Such goods must be pre-notified and wider border systems in place will prevent consignments entering GB.
In addition, travellers can no longer bring meat, meat products, milk and dairy products, certain composite products and animal by products of pigs and ruminants (including non-domestic species), or hay or straw, from Austria.
This is in addition to the action already taken by the UK Government to prevent the personal import of these products from Germany, Hungary and Slovakia to Great Britain.
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer is urging livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of FMD following the recent outbreaks in Hungary and Germany. There are no cases in the UK currently.
FMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas and alpacas. Livestock keepers should therefore be absolutely rigorous about their biosecurity.
FMD causes significant economic losses due to production losses in the affected animals as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries.
UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said:
Following the detection of a second foot and mouth disease case in Hungary, with a restriction area crossing the border into Austria, we have taken action to prevent the commercial import of potentially risky goods from Austria.
I would urge livestock keepers to continue exercising the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, ensure scrupulous biosecurity is maintained and to report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said:
We will continue to protect our nation’s farmers from the risk posed by foot and mouth disease.
This is why we have acted immediately to impose import restrictions on Austria, we will continue to keep the situation under review and will not hesitate to add additional countries to the list if the disease continues to spread further.
What you can do
If you’re an animal keeper, read about how to spot foot and mouth disease and report it.
If you’re an importer or exporter, read about the import restrictions for foot and mouth disease.
Clinical signs to be aware of vary depending on the animals, but in cattle the main signs are sores and blisters on the feet, mouth and tongue with potentially a fever, lameness and a reluctance to feed. In sheep and pigs, signs tend to manifest with lameness with potential for blistering.
While horses and companion animals are not susceptible to FMD, hay feed or straw bedding, if sourced from an infected area, could act as a fomite and therefore also prevented from entering GB.
Maintaining good biosecurity is essential to protecting the health and welfare of herds and critical to preventing the spread of diseases such as FMD and preventing an outbreak spreading.
Foot and mouth disease is a notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect foot and mouth disease in your animals, you must report it immediately by calling:
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03000 200 301 in England
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0300 303 8268 in Wales
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your local Field Services Office in Scotland
For more information, visit: Imports, exports and EU trade of animals and animal products: topical issues – GOV.UK
