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Export bans on German meat and dairy products expand as foot-and-mouth outbreak spreads

Tag：FMD german 2025-01-16 10:59

Governments in the UK, South Korea and Mexico have enforced bans on meat and dairy imports from Germany following the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at a buffalo farm in Brandenburg. Animals in surrounding areas are being slaughtered and zoos are closing as precautionary measures.

The outbreak is the latest blow to Germany’s struggling livestock sector, which has been crippled by rising energy prices and other diseases.

Between 2020 and 2023, the number of livestock farms in Germany decreased by around 4%, with 7,100 farms closing. The pig population saw a 15% reduction during the same period, and the number of dairy cows in Brandenburg also decreased by nearly 40,000 between 2018 and 2023.

Currently, the UK accounts for over 30% of all pork imports from Germany.

UK National Farmers Union president Tom Bradshaw remarks: “The confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany is very worrying news for all livestock keepers across the EU.”

“We welcome the swift action taken in reporting the disease so that we can minimize the risk to all livestock keepers, and it is now paramount that we make sure our borders are secure so that we don’t risk importing the disease into the UK.”

“With so much uncertainty about where this disease is and where it came from, and knowing the impact this horrendous disease can have, we’re calling on the government to ban personal imports of meat, milk and meat and milk products, unless accompanied by official veterinary documentation.”

“The government must also ensure that those fighting illegal meat imports, including Border Force, have the resources they need to stamp out this practice.”

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