Hundreds of Inspections Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Burgenland

According to information from the office of Deputy Governor Anja Haider-Wallner (Greens), all 660 farms in Northern and Central Burgenland are to be inspected in the coming weeks. Twelve farms in Deutsch Jahrndorf, Nickelsdorf, Halbturn, and Mönchhof will be examined weekly. The program is initially planned until May 17th.

Weekly Samples Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Burgenland

The four municipalities in the Neusiedl am See district, where samples are taken weekly, form a surveillance zone due to their proximity to the Hungarian outbreak site Levél. There is also a hunting ban in place to prevent wild animals from being startled and potentially spreading the virus during their escape. Recently, all tests in the zone have returned negative results.

In the 660 farms of the observation zone, as Burgenland calls it, the animals will be gradually examined for clinical symptoms in the coming weeks, and compliance with biosecurity measures will be checked. In about 150 farms, additional samples will be taken monthly. The surveillance program is an important measure for early detection, emphasized Haider-Wallner. "We must do everything to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease."

The Burgenland FPÖ farmers' chairman and Federal Councilor Thomas Karacsony spoke out against border closures to the APA: "This leads to panic and paralyzes the entire economy as it did during the Corona times." In his view, more effective measures would be disease mats at border crossings and "rigorous border controls" of live animal transports.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.