Travel restrictions have been imposed in some countries after Germany confirmed its first case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in nearly four decades on a farm near Berlin, raising concerns among livestock farmers about crippling economic costs.
The 2001 Foot and mouth disease outbreak in England resulted in over €15 billion in losses and the slaughter of more than 6 million animals, leading authorities to impose transport bans and livestock culling in Brandenburg after the current outbreak was identified.
In 2024, German meat exports are estimated at almost €5 billion, but the German Farmers Association warns of massive costs and supply chain disruptions from FMD-related trade restrictions, including a halt on cattle imports from the UK and others.
The Netherlands has banned the transport of over 3,600 German calves, while Belgium has blocked farms receiving livestock from the affected regions, exacerbating animal welfare concerns as dairy farmers struggle to manage unweaned male calves.
Ireland had been free of Foot and Mouth since 1941 until a series of cases in sheep in 2001 in County Armagh.
