Shock for farmers: mouth and claw disease broken out in Brandenburg!

Shock for farmers: mouth and claw disease broken out in Brandenburg!

A shock for agriculture: The mouth and claw disease (MKS) has again reached Germany, in the Märkisch-Oderland district in Brandenburg. As the German Press Agency reports, three water buffalos have already died in the highly contagious disease. This is the first outbreak of MKS in Germany since 1988. State Agriculture Minister Hanka Mittelstädt (SPD) has expressed concern about this incident and confirms that further animals have to be killed and eliminated to combat the plague to prevent the virus from spreading. Time is forced, because the mouth and claw disease can quickly spread under stealing such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

first measures taken

In order to prevent an even greater spread of the disease, a restricted zone was set up that extends to Berlin. The district of Märkisch-Oderland works closely with specialists from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (Fli) to determine the exact cause of the outbreak. "Illegally introduced animal products from affected regions are a constant threat to European agriculture," warned the FLI. Important to know that people are not affected by the virus, but the effects on the animal stocks are serious. As reported by the Tagesschau, there is a risk that the entire animal inventory of an affected company should be killed.

The last known cases of the MKS in Germany performed in 1988, and since then the country has been considered free of this dangerous animal disease. The current outbreak shows how fragile biological security is in agriculture and how important it is to take suitable measures to protect the animal stocks. The higher health risks and economic consequences mean that farmers and authorities have to pull together to master the situation. The reporting of Berlin live underlines the urgency of these measures and the need for preventive steps to prevent future outbreaks.

Berlin Live