Foot and mouth crisis deepens in Hungary and Slovakia
Last week, the Austrian authorities started testing groundwater when it discovered that some of the cattle culled from infected herds in Hungary had been buried six kilometres from the Austrian-Hungarian border. Within Hungary, there have been local objections to livestock burials.
Even in neighbouring countries, a foot and mouth outbreak raises fears. In Austria, the military was mobilised to prevent the infectious disease from entering the country.
But the real victims are, of course, the owners of more than 8,000 livestock, which had to be disposed of since the disease was first detected in Hungary at the beginning of March.
Up to this week, the disease was found in five farms in Hungary, and six in neighbouring Slovakia. More than 6,000 cattle had to be put down in Slovakia.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), annual losses from foot and mouth are estimated at between €6.5bn and 21bn in regions where the disease is endemic, and more than €1.5bn when outbreaks occur in foot and mouth free zones.
The viral illness affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, and goats. It causes fever, painful blisters around the mouth and hooves, and spreads rapidly via contaminated equipment, feed, vehicles, clothing, and even human contact with infected surfaces.
Though humans cannot catch the disease, they can inadvertently spread it. Containment requires quarantine, trade restrictions, vaccination, monitoring, and the slaughter of both infected and at-risk animals.
In Hungary, vaccination of cattle on farms where the disease is detected is carried out immediately, to minimise virus shedding until the cattle are killed and buried. Testing of susceptible animals is ongoing, and farms are being checked at random for compliance with the containment rules.
But the disease kept spreading, and epidemiological investigations of the latest fifth case revealed no trace back to previous outbreaks. In fact, samples taken at this dairy farm in Rábapordány (60 km south of the most recent previous outbreak) on March 11 and 23, and at the pig farm associated with it on April 4, 9 and 10, had all yielded negative results.
However, one dairy cow in the herd of 600 presented symptoms during morning milking on April 17. The farm is near the borders with Slovakia and Austria.
The spread of the disease has led some in the governments of Hungary and Slovakia (both foot and mouth free for more than 50 years) to suggest the outbreaks could be linked to bioterrorism, but without presenting any supporting scientific evidence.
However, unregulated animal movement and the breakdown of safe trade practices are more likely causes, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.
By the 1990s, most countries in the EU had gained foot and mouth free status, according to the WOAH. But in 2001 and 2007, the disease recurred in the UK (no country wants a repeat of the 2001 UK outbreak with the loss of more than 10 million animals, and a crisis costing more than €15 billion).
Russia reported it in 2005, with recurrences that ended in 2022. Bulgaria reported an outbreak in 2011. Germany had an outbreak in 2025 (but regained foot and mouth free status in March, except for the contaminated zones).
Sheep and goat plague
It may be significant that Hungary was also hit this year by its first occurrence of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), also known as sheep and goat plague. This large geographical leap for the PPR virus is typical of animal migration or trade issues, which may also be behind the foot and mouth outbreak.
Africa, Asia and the Middle East are the regions most affected by PPR and foot and mouth, but several incursions into new areas, such as Europe, have been observed in recent years.
Animal movement, both legal and illegal, has been a major factor in the spread of PPR within and between countries in Europe, as well as globally, said the WOAH.
Following an outbreak in Greece in 2016, PPR resurfaced in Georgia in 2024, in Bulgaria in 2018 and 2024, Greece again in 2024, Romania in 2024 and 2025, and now Hungary in 2025.
PPR and foot and mouth know no political or geographical limits, and surveillance, prevention, management of animal movement, and adequate veterinary services are required to keep them at bay.
That is why other countries have reacted quickly to Hungarian and Slovakian outbreaks, with, for example, the UK upgrading the risk of foot and mouth incursion to medium, and taking some new measures. These include banning personal imports of meat and dairy products from the EU.
Austria closed 21 border crossings with Hungary, allowing entry only at the larger crossings and only with disinfection. Many member states have banned live animal and other agricultural commodity imports from Hungary and Slovakia.
DAFM has confirmed that no susceptible animals moved into Ireland from Austria, Slovakia, or Hungary this year. It said anyone arriving in Ireland following contact with susceptible animals in foot and mouth affected areas must take biosecurity precautions.
Read More
Irish farmers urged to be vigilant after Germany records case of foot and mouth disease
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
Call for regulation of 'laughing gas' due to harm posed to reproductive health
THE GOVERNMENT HAS been urged to take action and regulate the sale of nitrous oxide following its classification by the EU as toxic for human reproduction and the nervous system. Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward, who has been vocal on the issue, has drafted legislation to ban the sale of nitrous oxide to the public and is appealing to the government to cooperate with him and pass the bill. Also known as 'laughing gas', the substance is sold in canisters, which often end up as litter on the streets, and are used by teens and young people for short highs. The colourless, sweet-smelling gas is sometimes used in medicine for sedation or pain relief. It is also used in catering to make whipped cream, making policing its import and use challenging. In recent years, recreational use has surged. Its use can have devastating impacts, with multiple deaths in Europe of teenagers and people in their 20s, including 15-year-old Tallaght teenager Alex Ryan, who was found dead after apparently ingesting the substance in 2020. As a result of the passing of a European Union Delegated Act, which classifies the substance as harmful, the European Commission plans to update existing restrictions on its sale. Advertisement Ward has said there is no reason for the Irish government to wait, given that the harms are already known. 'Studies have shown the harm to reproduction that medical and dental staff faced when exposed to small amounts of the gas in the course of their work. These studies showed decreased fertility in these workers,' Ward said. 'My fear is that people are using nitrous oxide as a quick high and they are taking much more concentrated doses of the gas than the staff in those studies. 'I am particularly worried for young people who are using it in this way,' he added. Recently, The Journal Investigates found large canisters of nitrous oxide for sale on online classified ad sites , including the Irish version of Amazon. Nitrous oxide is not currently a controlled substance under Ireland's Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, though it is an offence to sell a psychoactive substance – which nitrous oxide is – for human consumption. After much campaigning, it was classified as a controlled drug in the UK in 2023. Ward's bill, which is currently before the Dáil, aims to restrict the drug's misuse by introducing age restrictions for under-18s. Includes reporting from Conor O'Carroll. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Heather Humphreys and Seán Kelly presidential face-off expected as Fine Gael reopens nominations
A contest between former minister Heather Humphreys and the MEP Seán Kelly to become Fine Gael 's presidential candidate became increasingly likely on Monday night after the party's executive council decided to seek fresh nominations rather than selecting a single candidate. Nominations will open on Tuesday for two weeks. Ms Humphreys is said by former colleagues to be keen to become the candidate. Ahead of the meeting, Mr Kelly said he would be 'leaning towards contesting'. The meeting was hastily convened after the sudden announcement on Thursday by party nominee Mairead McGuinness that she was dropping out of the race for health reasons . READ MORE Ms McGuinness said she made the 'very difficult decision' after a stay in hospital and would now prioritise her health. 'I do not believe that I have the strength to give the campaign my all,' she said. Her departure has left just one confirmed candidate in the contest, the left-wing Independent TD Catherine Connolly . After deliberating for little over an hour on Monday evening, Fine Gael's executive council decided it would reopen nominations until September 2nd. Ms Humphreys had ruled herself out of the race earlier this year, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family. However, party sources have said that following the vacation of the nomination by Ms McGuinness, she has expressed strong interest in representing the party in the autumn poll. Her candidacy has been strongly backed by Tánaiste and party leader Simon Harris . Sources said that when he contacted Fine Gael ministers on Friday to tell them Ms McGuinness was standing down, he voiced strong support for former Cavan-Monaghan TD Ms Humphreys, who is a long-time ally. However, South MEP Seán Kelly has also indicated his interest. He considered contesting the nomination against Ms McGuinness earlier in summer, but he ultimately decided against it. In response to queries from The Irish Times on Monday Mr Kelly said he was in 'decision mode'. In a text sent before the executive meeting, he said that, depending on the outcome, he would 'be leaning towards contesting.' A senior party figure, when asked if the outcome of the meeting would lead to a contest between Ms Humphreys and Mr Kelly, said: 'Most likely, yes.' Mr Harris was present for the full meeting. Sources said there was a clear mood among those present that there should be a contest and a hustings. The two-week period is to allow prospective candidates to win sufficient support within the party. To be nominated, a candidate needs the named support of 20 members of the parliamentary party, 25 Fine Gael councillors and five members of the executive council.
Agriland
3 days ago
- Agriland
Farmers in NI reminded to seek vet advice on bluetongue vaccine
Livestock farmers in Northern Ireland (NI) are being urged to seek professional veterinary advice before administering a bluetongue vaccine. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has permitted the voluntary use of three bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccines in Northern Ireland, subject to licensing. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) agricultural spokesperson, Carla Lockhart said that thankfully, NI remains a bluetongue-free zone. "DAERA is actively conducting surveillance sampling in abattoirs to declare freedom from the disease," Lockhart said. "Officials are also using the Met Office's hazard manager maps, and midge traps are in operation at seven inland and coastal sites across NI." She reiterated that vigilance and strict biosecurity measures are key, especially as the disease threat from infected midges is heightened during the warmer summer months. 'Clinical signs or symptoms of the disease should be reported to a vet or the local divisional veterinary office immediately," Lockhart said. "Incidence of the disease in the UK has predominately affected sheep and cattle, while goats, deer and camelids such as alpacas and lamas are also susceptible species." While the decision to allow the use of BTV-3 vaccines will give flock keepers and herd owners an additional safeguard against the disease, Lockhart said it is important to note that the medicine will not prevent infection or transmission. "Vaccination does have a role in managing disease severity," she said. 'Farm vets and livestock farmers must apply to DAERA for a licence to use a BTV-3 vaccine. The three approved inactivated vaccines are authorised for use throughout the UK and the EU.' She added that the decision to vaccinate is a "personal choice, but I would strongly advise farmers to seek expert advice from their private vet". "Farmers will be responsible for all associated costs, and if applicable, they are responsible for adhering to the necessary trade and export requirements," she said. 'There are a number of factors to be aware of, especially concerning vaccinated animals. "Using vaccines may limit the use of negative serology tests for germinal product certification to some third countries, requiring PCR tests. "Some certificates for third country (non UK or EU) exports are already affected because they require UK BTV-3 freedom. 'While Northern Ireland remains BTV-3 free, vaccinated animals are eligible for slaughter; and breeding sheep and cattle can be sold to the EU for breeding and production. 'The use of vaccination has no impact on the trade or movement of meat and dairy products to the EU. However, complications may arise if NI loses its bluetongue freedom.' The movement of animals from Great Britain to NI remains suspended, Lockhart noted.
