Meat scandal! Import stops from Austria because of their mouth and claw disease!

Meat scandal! Import stops from Austria because of their mouth and claw disease!

On April 8, 2025, several countries took precautionary measures due to the mouth and claw disease (MKS) and stopped imports of meat and milk from Austria. While no case was demonstrated in Austria itself, the USA, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and Bosnia-Herzegovina have imposed import restrictions on beef and pork products as well as for raw milk. The Health Ministry of Austria is in "intensive exchange" with the affected trade nation.

The exact duration of the restrictions is currently unclear, but the import limits for the USA and Canada apply retrospectively from February 24th and 25th. Products that have been exported from Austria according to this data must not be brought into circulation. Japan has imposed a strict embargo that also applies to products processed in Austria. For Bosnia-Herzegovina, the ban only applies to the federal states of Lower Austria and Burgenland, such as oe24.at reports.

international context and health measures

The situation in Austria is overshadowed by international developments. Great Britain has prohibited the import of cattle, pigs and sheep from Germany on the basis of a confirmed outbreak of the mouth and claw disease. These measures include both living animals and fresh meat products. The incident was reported in Brandenburg, where three water buffalos have died. In order to minimize possible contacts, eleven other animals of the affected company were killed as a precaution.

South Korea and Mexico have also signaled that they could consider import restrictions. Within the EU, however, the import restrictions only apply to the regions concerned, whereby Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir emphasizes that the efforts to restore exports in third countries are continued. The MKS represents a highly contagious viral disease in claws and can also affect zoo and wild animals, but is harmless to humans.

In the event of an outbreak, all claw animals must be killed in the affected company and harmless. Animals in the vicinity of the epidemic often also have to be killed in order to prevent further spread of the disease. A serious outbreak in Great Britain in 2001 led to the slaughter of over six million animals, which illustrates the urgency of the measures. tagesschau.de reports on the extensive reactions of the federal states and the continuing efforts to control the outbreak.