Germany Regains Foot-and-Mouth Disease-Free Status
Export Restrictions May Be Lifted
Germany's Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, emphasized that restoring this status will allow the country to resume full-scale trade in meat and dairy products on international markets.
"Official confirmation from the OIE is a key prerequisite for negotiations with third countries. I am confident that our trade in agricultural products will quickly normalize, and German producers will soon be able to resume exports to their traditional markets," said the minister.
The economic losses caused by the FMD outbreak in Germany have been significant. According to industry estimates, farmers and food producers have lost approximately €1 billion. As a result, several countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Russia, and South Korea, imposed import restrictions on German livestock products.Russian Watchdog Warns of Risks in the EU
Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) previously predicted this development and attributes the FMD outbreak in the EU to uncontrolled movement of animals and livestock products. While some EU member states have tightened control measures, this did not prevent a new outbreak in Hungary in early March—the first in 50 years.
Experts from Russia’s Federal Center for Animal Health (FGBI "ARRIAH") warn that delays in vaccinating susceptible animals could have catastrophic consequences for the EU. In response to the Hungarian outbreak, Russian scientists have proposed officially designating the entire territory of Hungary as an FMD-affected zone, which could impact the country's export potential.
Unlike the EU, Russia has implemented a comprehensive FMD control system, including systematic vaccination of cattle and small ruminants, strict border controls, and epizootic monitoring to prevent the spread of the disease.
