Animal transports were banned in a state surrounding Berlin on Saturday, and the German capital’s two zoos closed as a precaution, after foot and mouth disease was detected in a buffalo herd just outside the city.
It is Germany’s first outbreak for more than 35 years.
Authorities in Brandenburg state said on Friday that a farmer found three of a 14-strong herd of water buffalo dead in Hoenow, just outside the capital’s city limits.
Germany’s national animal health institute confirmed that foot and mouth disease had been detected in samples from one animal, and the rest of the herd was slaughtered.
It was not clear how the animals were infected.
A 72-hour ban on transporting cows, pigs, sheep, goats and other animals such as camels and llamas in Brandenburg came into force Saturday.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said he was “dismayed” at news of the outbreak. “I know this is a terrible blow to German farmers, particularly the affected herdowner and their neighbours. I know the German authorities are working hard to resolve this. I want to urge everyone in Ireland, particularly farmers, to stay vigilant and to protect our Irish livestock,” he said.
The department said it was taking action to protect Irish livestock following the outbreak. It said no animals susceptible to FMD had been imported into Ireland from Germany since November 1st.
Ireland’s controls to prevent FMD include strict prohibitions on the imports of animals and animal products from countries in which FMD is present; a comprehensive veterinary surveillance system to detect unusual disease outbreaks; and active follow up and veterinary investigation of any suspects reports.
If a FMD case were to be identified in Ireland, the infected herd would be culled, the site disinfected, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone set up, within which very strict movement controls and testing would be imposed.
A positive case would lead to the immediate loss of market access for Irish animals and animal products.
On Saturday, Berlin’s two zoos closed as a preventive measure.
Their management said in a statement that while the virus is not dangerous to humans, it can stick to their clothing and be transmitted.
Authorities said that about 200 pigs at a farm in Ahrensfelde, near where the outbreak was detected, would be slaughtered as a precaution.
Foot and mouth disease is caused by a virus that infects cattle, sheep, goats, swine and other cloven-hoofed animals.
While death rates are typically low, the disease can make animals ill with fever, decreased appetite, excessive drooling, blisters and other symptoms.
The virus spreads easily through contact and airborne transmission and can quickly infect entire herds.
People can spread the disease via things like farming equipment, shoes, clothing and vehicle tyres that have come into contact with the virus.
The last outbreak in Germany was in 1988 and the last in Europe in 2011, according to Germany’s animal health institute. – Associated Press