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Foot and Mouth Disease in Slovakia. Ban on import of certain goods to Poland
Poland will prohibit the import of certain products from Slovakia due to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, as stated in a regulation from the Minister of Agriculture. This includes items such as milk and meat.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced that this regulation was enacted following reports from the European Commission and Slovak veterinary authorities regarding the identification of three foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks on farms in Slovakia (specifically in the Dunajska Streda district, close to the southern border with Hungary).
Items from Slovakia affected by the ban
The items banned from importation from Slovakia include: – both farmed and wild cloven-hoofed animals along with biological materials from these animals; – fresh meat, offal, minced meat, mechanically separated meat, raw meat products, casings, and meat products derived from farmed and wild cloven-hoofed animals; – raw milk, colostrum, and dairy products derived from cloven-hoofed animals; – animal by-products and derived products from farmed and wild cloven-hoofed animals; – manure, straw, and hay.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stated in an announcement that this regulation will take effect the day after it is published and will stay in place until the European Commission implements appropriate measures. It also noted that the Veterinary Inspection, alongside the police, the National Revenue Administration, and the Road Transport Inspection, is conducting inspections of animal and product transports at border crossings.
On Friday morning, the Minister of Agriculture, Richard Takacz, revealed that he received test results confirming three outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in southern Slovakia. He expressed concern that entire herds may need to be culled. Prior to the official disease confirmation, the Czech veterinary authorities had already imposed a ban on the transport of animals susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease from Slovakia. Additionally, there are ongoing 24-hour inspections of transport at borders and within the country.
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Understanding foot and mouth disease
Foot and mouth disease is a highly transmissible and serious viral infection affecting cloven-hoofed domestic and wild animals. Sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle are particularly vulnerable. In the event of an outbreak, all animals on the affected farms must be culled. Wild animals are also susceptible to the disease. The last occurrence in Czechoslovakia was in 1975, while Poland’s last recorded case was in 1971. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) recognizes Poland as free from FMD.
Foot-and-mouth disease poses no threat to humans, although individuals can become infected through direct contact with infected animals and their secretions or by consuming unpasteurized products from these animals.
