Nearly 40 Years Eradicated, FMD Pops Up in Germany

We’re going across the pond for today’s agricultural story and shifting our focus to Germany where authorities have now reported the country’s first outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in nearly forty years.

The species? Well, the three infected animals are not cattle but rather water buffalo. While the deceased animals had apparently been first speculated to have been infected by Bluetongue disease, the World Organization for Animal Health, or WOAH, confirmed it was FMD over the weekend.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a serious and highly contagious animal disease that affects all cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, sheep, goats, camelids, deer and pigs. Most affected herds are culled and that is the case with this 11-animal herd on the outskirts of Berlin.

In a statement, the WOAH acknowledged that while the FMD virus is not considered a public health problem, it’s crucial for animal health due to its easy transmission and the significant economic impact it can have.

Here in the U.S., FMD was first discovered in 1870 and eradicated in 1929.