Hrnčířová: EU Legislation Clearly Defines Rules for Culling Animals in Foot-and-Mouth Disease Areas

Brussels – The European Union (EU) has maintained consistent regulations for many years concerning the management of livestock culling in areas impacted by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), along with compensation programs for farmers affected by the disease. This was conveyed by Eva Hrnčířová, spokesperson for health at the European Commission (EC), during a statement to the TASR correspondent in Brussels on Friday.

Hrnčířová noted that officials from the Slovak government have indicated that due to EU regulations, farmers in Slovakia are required to cull even healthy animals in FMD-affected regions. In response to TASR’s inquiry about whether EU regulations mandate such actions in cases of diseases like FMD, Hrnčířová clarified that the culling of animals is not a direct requirement of Brussels legislation but a necessary measure due to the highly contagious nature of FMD.

“Unfortunately, culling animals on infected farms is the sole effective strategy to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease across Slovakia and to other European nations,” she elaborated.

She emphasized that while FMD poses no risk to humans, it is extremely hazardous for livestock operations. In Slovakia, many farms are situated in close proximity within the affected zone, necessitating a three-kilometer safety perimeter around these farms, where all animals must be culled. FMD has a lengthy incubation period, and symptoms in animals that appear healthy can manifest after up to three weeks. If this occurs, a new outbreak could have far-reaching repercussions compared to the urgent measures necessary now to contain the infection’s spread.

“Thanks to the safeguards embedded in European legislation, foot-and-mouth disease has not been present in the EU for decades, despite its prevalence in other regions of the world,” she noted, adding that these measures led to the eradication of FMD in Germany in January.

Hrnčířová also assured that the EU provides support to member states facing such diseases and will extend assistance to Slovakia. “The EU will financially support Slovak farmers, and there will be a collaborative funding scheme for compensation alongside Slovakia, contingent on the country’s GDP, which could be either 20 or 30 percent,” the EC spokesperson stated. (March 28)

“Thanks to the measures we have in European legislation, we have not had foot-and-mouth disease in the EU for decades, although it is a disease that occurs elsewhere in the world.” Eva Hrnčířová