Red alarm level: sheep and goat breeders fear mouth and claw disease!

Red alarm level: sheep and goat breeders fear mouth and claw disease!

In Brandenburg there is great concern among sheep and goat breeders after the outbreak of the mouth and claw disease (MKS). This highly contagious disease, which is transmitted through droplets and direct contact with infected animals, ensures massive worry folds. Sheep breeders Jonas Scholz, who holds 550 animals on his pastures south of Berlin, warns: "This can quickly develop into a super-gau." In the Märkisch-Oderland district, 170 pigs and four sheep from a hobby breeding have already been killed in three restricted zones. According to bz Berlin , the breeders are faced with the challenge, also with the bluezungs disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes.

urgent measures and vaccine development

All claw animals in the area of ​​the affected farms are now being examined in order to better assess the spread of the plague. In the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, the serotype O is already being worked on a vaccine against the pathogen. As soon as these vaccines are available, Scholz plans to have his animals vaccinated immediately. Around 100,000 sheep and goats are active in meat and milk production in Berlin and Brandenburg, with 73,000 sheep and 12,571 goats being kept in Brandenburg alone, such as Landtiere.de reported.

In addition, the farmers will be asked for the green week, which will soon begin in the exhibition halls to help: "When you see sheep, keep your distance!" Asks Scholz. This plague not only hits the breeders financially, but also emotionally, since many animals are their constant companions and friends. The dependence on the animals is of central importance for the breeders in this region, since they are partly active in animal breeding for generations. Sheep and goats are not only farm animals, but also sociable beings that develop a strong connection to their peers, as could be seen in an investigation by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, which gives precious insights into the social behavior of these animals.

bz berlin