German leaders called today for draconian measures to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease across Europe, including mass immunisation of animals at risk as well as restrictions on cross-border tourist travel and school trips abroad.
An emergency meeting of regional state agriculture ministers in Cottbus came out in favour of the mass immunisation, a spokesman of the Lower Saxony agricuture ministry said. However the final decision remains with the European Union.
Earlier, Brandenburg's agriculture minister Mr Wolfgang Birthler who chaired the Cottbus meeting said that in addition to "classic measures" such as the quarantine of infected or suspect farms there should be foreign travel restrictions.
There should be "real consideration" whether, for example, school trips to neighbouring France or the Netherlands should be banned, he said on Deutschland Radio. Both countries have had foot-and-mouth outbreaks, while none has yet been reported in Germany.
In Bavaria, there were fears that the foot-and-mouth epidemic which has begun spreading to the European mainland Britain will hit its tourist industry in a vacation period, as the region's farmers do not want people coming in from infected countries.
AFP