Austria Imposes Import Ban and Controls Due to Foot-and-Mouth Disease

An import ban is in place for live animals of susceptible species such as cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats from Hungary and Slovakia, as well as for fresh meat, raw milk, slurry, manure, hunting trophies, and game meat. Police and customs are also being deployed for targeted checks in border areas.

Three Regulations in Austria as a Package of Measures Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease

A total of three regulations are being implemented. The aim is to keep the risk of introduction into Austria as low as possible, according to a release from the Ministry of Health with the involvement of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance. A specific foot-and-mouth disease control regulation sets the framework for restricted zones in Austria. These restricted zones particularly affect agricultural operations with certain animal species and include, for example, enhanced hygiene rules, operational controls, and restrictions on animal transport. There are no restrictions for people - staying in these areas is safe, even for pets. Transmission to humans is not possible, it was emphasized.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Mobile Checks Near the Border

The regulation for support by police and customs in border checks does not target stationary border controls, but rather "mobile, risk-based measures to prevent the illegal movement of animals or products," it was stated. Since 2023, border checks have been conducted with Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and with Hungary since autumn 2015, the Ministry of the Interior added. Border crossings on federal roads and highways are therefore already permanently monitored, and crossings, for example, on municipal roads are selectively overseen by police forces.

The border checks are being intensified in cooperation with the relevant authorities, with a focus on animal transports at these borders, emphasized the Ministry of the Interior. The tasks of the police in this context include stopping and checking vehicles, verifying the necessary documents, and the clinical examination of animals by veterinarians. There is daily coordination at the federal and state levels, it was emphasized. The Ministry of Health appealed to all animal owners, veterinarians, hunters, and transport companies to maintain the highest hygiene standards and to inform themselves about the applicable regulations.

Restricted Zones Due to Foot-and-Mouth Disease Also in Lower Austria

In Lower Austria, there are restricted zones in the district of Gänserndorf as well as in municipalities in the districts of Bruck an der Leitha, Mistelbach, and Wiener Neustadt. The steps taken were also welcomed. "The spread of the highly contagious animal disease to Austria must be stopped by all means! This requires strict measures at the border, and we have been intensively advocating for this in the last few hours in the interest of our farmers," stated Lower Austria's Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf and Chamber of Agriculture President Johannes Schmuckenschlager (both ÖVP) in a statement.

(APA/Red)

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