Bratislava – The government is committed to supporting farmers affected by the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic, ensuring they will not be left “in the lurch.” Compensation efforts are being pursued from both national resources and EU funds, announced Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) during a crisis commission meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture. Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč (Smer-SD) also confirmed that small-scale farmers will receive compensation, as reported by TASR.
“I want to make it clear and official: despite the challenging financial situation our country faces, the Slovak government will not abandon its farmers,” Fico stated. He expressed readiness to negotiate with senior officials from the European Commission (EC), with Takáč scheduled to address this issue at an agricultural ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Monday (March 24).
The Prime Minister has invited representatives from affected farms and companies, as well as farmer and food producer representatives, to a meeting at the government office on Tuesday (March 25). “I will issue another joint statement to ensure that the state must take action in this situation, as it involves national interests,” he emphasized.
Martin Chudý, Director of the State Veterinary and Food Administration (ŠVPS) SR, confirmed after the commission meeting that Slovakia is currently dealing with three outbreaks of the disease. Emergency vaccinations for the second outbreak were completed on Sunday, providing a safeguard during the culling of animals at the first infected farm in Bake. Chudý noted that animals from smaller contact farms were also culled on Sunday.
Chudý identified unregistered farms as a significant factor in the disease’s spread. “These present substantial risks for infection propagation because we lack information about such farms,” he explained, highlighting that breeders are legally required to register their livestock. One unregistered farm was discovered, housing pigs, sheep, goats, and a horse. All animals except the horse, which is not susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease, were culled.
Foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed in cattle farms in three villages in southern Slovakia: Medveďov, Ňárad, and Bake, following earlier outbreaks in Germany and Hungary. The disease likely crossed into Slovakia from Hungary. An extraordinary situation has been declared in the Dunajská Streda district since Friday (March 21). Foot-and-mouth disease is a serious, highly contagious viral disease affecting livestock, with major economic repercussions. (March 23)
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