Foot and mouth disease: Austria takes border controls seriously!

Foot and mouth disease: Austria takes border controls seriously!

As of April 16, 2025, no cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) have been detected in Austria. This is reported by the crown. Nevertheless, the Federal Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMASGPK), the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) are taking preventative measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Increased checks were carried out by police and customs along the eastern borders, especially on the Easter weekend. These measures focused on return traffic, animal transport and illegal imports of animal products such as meat, raw milk and manure.

New regulations apply to the import of cloven-hoofed animals from foot-and-mouth disease-free areas in Hungary and Slovakia. In the future, the animals may only be transported directly from the farm of origin to a destination farm in Austria. The animals must be clinically healthy and negative evidence for the foot-and-mouth disease virus is required, which must be provided using a PCR or ELISA test, whereby the test result must not be older than 72 hours. In addition, a seven-day quarantine in complete isolation is required when bringing them into holding farms.

Strict requirements for import and quarantine

The strict requirements continue when delivering to slaughterhouses. There must be no contact with other animals and either a quarantine stable must be used or the complete absence of other animals must be guaranteed. A clinical examination by official veterinarians is also required, as is separate slaughter, cleaning and disinfection after slaughter. Transport companies are obliged to clean and disinfect their means of transport and to return to the country of origin without stopping. The Lko and the responsible ministry are calling on animal owners and transport companies to strictly comply with the new regulations and to regularly review biosecurity measures.

On April 12, 2025, a second adaptation package of the FMD Regulation was published, which came into force on April 14, 2025. The import ban for certain products is now regionally limited and only affects exclusion zones in Hungary and Slovakia. This is the result of the measures taken by the veterinary authorities in these two countries after the last case of foot-and-mouth disease was reported on April 4, 2025. The geographical differentiation of the epidemic situation at EU level makes it possible to impose trade restrictions only on the affected regions.

Modes of transmission and symptoms of FMD

Foot-and-mouth disease leads to comprehensive ban regulations in the EU, as the economic damage arises not only from the illness of the animals themselves, but also from trade restrictions and sales problems. The foot-and-mouth disease virus is easily transmissible and can be spread through direct contact between animals and indirectly through intermediaries such as vehicles and people. The incubation period varies depending on the animal species: for sheep and goats it is 1 to 6 days, for cattle 2 to 7 days and for pigs 2 to 12 days. Signs of the disease include blistering and detachment of mucous membranes in various parts of the body, such as the mouth and claws. Pigs can experience painful lameness, while sheep are often only noticeable because of their lameness.

The foot-and-mouth disease virus survives in the environment for months, making it much more difficult to contain the disease. The Animal Health Service points out that an immediate report is required if foot-and-mouth disease is suspected and the official veterinarian can order appropriate measures. In order to minimize the risks, animal owners should limit the purchase of animals and transport to the bare essentials, adhere to regular hygiene and disinfection measures and control access to their businesses.