Maul and claw disease: 24 borders in Austria temporarily tight!

Maul and claw disease: 24 borders in Austria temporarily tight!

Today, the Austrian authorities took drastic measures in Slovakia and Hungary in response to an outbreak of the mouth and claw disease (MKS). At midnight on April 5, 2025, 24 smaller border crossings in Burgenland and Lower Austria were closed. This decision was made by the Ministry of the Interior and implemented by the state police departments that set up technical locks and used police forces to control. The preliminary closure of the borders will be maintained by May 20, 2025.

The measures were considered necessary to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus infection, the claws such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, but also zoo and wild animals. MKS is widespread worldwide, but harmless to humans. In Germany, the plague had not occurred since 1988 until a case at water buffalos in the Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg district, was confirmed on January 10, 2025. Despite extensive samples, no further cases were found, which indicates successful containment measures.

increased controls to limits

To monitor the situation, increased controls at the open border crossings to Hungary and Slovakia are used. The police conduct comprehensive controls of vehicles and check relevant documents to minimize possible infection risks. Particular attention is paid to the transport of animals and their products, since the MKS can have serious economic effects.

In addition to the measures in Austria, restricted zones in Brandenburg and Berlin and a "stood quietly" for claws will be maintained to prevent the expansion of the plague. The relevant authorities have also convened consultations in the federal-state Task Force fighting animal disease and founded a central crisis staff to coordinate the procedure. On January 15, 2025, a special meeting of the responsible committee in the Bundestag also took place to discuss the situation and to develop suitable strategies.

Current situation in Hungary

At the beginning of March 2025, MKS was first detected in a beef company in northwestern Hungary. So far there is no evidence of a connection between this outbreak and the case in Brandenburg. The EU Commission has determined possible measures to combat the disease. On February 11, 2025, the procedure for animal -healthy restricted zones was updated, and from February 24, 2025, certain monitoring measures apply in a new "containment zone".

Although the MKS freedom status for most of Germany was restored on March 12, 2025, it remains exposed to the "containment zone" by April 11, 2025. The responsible authorities submitted a comprehensive dossier to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) to enable the recognition of this zone.

Developments around MKS are highlighting the need for the need for effective animal disease law measures both at national and European level. Since MKS was considered a serious risk to agriculture in the past, the authorities take into account all steps to prevent further expansion of the plague.