Protective measures against mouth and claw disease: Red alarm level for Lower Austria!

Protective measures against mouth and claw disease: Red alarm level for Lower Austria!

Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg, Deutschland - On April 2, 2025, Johannes Schmuckenschlager, President of the Lower Austria Chamber of Agriculture, made urgency to combat the mouth and claw disease (MKS). It demands stricter protective measures because the plague spreads into several European countries. An outbreak in Austria could have catastrophic effects on agriculture and the economy, especially for animal -keeping family businesses that could get into serious economic difficulties through quarantine and cussals.

Schmuckenschlager also warns that consumers could be affected by possible price increases and bottlenecks, which would further increase the dependency on imports. In order to minimize these dangers, he has formulated four central claims to the Ministry of Health:

claims to contain the disease

• Strict control of the import ban for living farm animals as well as meat and dairy products from affected regions.
• reinforced controls at border points, including epidemic carpets and temporary closure of smaller border crossings.
• close cooperation and strict coordination by the EU in the affected countries.
• a comprehensive crisis plan for quick reactions in an emergency.

In addition, Schmuckenschlager appeals to the population of avoiding non -necessary trips to affected areas, and emphasizes the personal responsibility of the citizens to support agriculture. The Lower Austria Chamber of Agriculture will continue to be in close exchange with the responsible authorities and will inform about the developments.

Current situation and context

The urgency of Schmuckenschlager’s appeal is underpinned by the latest developments in Germany. On January 10, 2025, a case of MKS at Wasserbüffeln in the Märkisch-Oderland district, Brandenburg, was confirmed. Despite extensive samples, no further cases have been registered so far. MKS is a highly contagious viral infection that can not only affect stolen animals, but also zoo and wild animals. The plague is widespread worldwide, but humans are harmless.

Measures were taken in Brandenburg to contain the spread of the virus. This includes the establishment of restricted zones in which the transport of animals and their products are prohibited. A "stand still" was arranged, which was valid in Brandenburg and Berlin until mid -January 2025. During the Green Week, which took place from January 17th to 26th, 2025, no claw animals were issued to avoid a higher risk of infection.

The collaboration of the federal states for fighting animal disease is supported by advice from the federal-countries Task Force fighting animal disease. On January 15, 2025, a special meeting of the responsible committee in the Bundestag took place, while the EU Commission set the further procedure regarding animal-healthy restricted zones on February 11, 2025. Germany was able to restore the status "MKS-Free without vaccination" for most of the country on March 12, 2025, but the status for the "containment zone" is exposed to April 11, 2025.