Current situation

The competent authority in Brandenburg established restricted zones from which it is inter alia generally prohibited to transport animals and animal products. Livestock farms inside the restricted zones and identified contact farms have been or are being investigated to determine the cause and extent of the infection and – in the event that other infected farms are identified – for the necessary action to be taken as swiftly as possible. Further cases have not been detected despite extensive sampling and examinations.

The states of Brandenburg and Berlin initially imposed a standstill for cloven-hoofed animals – that is, a blanket ban on moving animals susceptible to FMD. Diese Maßnahme endete im Land Brandenburg am 17.01.2025, im Land Berlin am 27.01.2025. The immediate standstill was a vital measure, initially for gaining relevant knowledge about the outbreak and thus for preventing any possible further spread of this highly contagious animal disease. In addition, Berlin’s Zoo and Tierpark were temporarily closed, and no cloven-hoofed animals were being exhibited at the Berlin Grüne Woche trade fair (17-26 January 2025).

Alongside these measures, the national task force on animal disease control has been meeting since the day the outbreak was identified. The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) has also convened the central animal disease crisis team and is consulting with the German federal states (Länder) and the EU on the further course of action. The relevant committee of the German Bundestag met on Wednesday, 15 January 2025, for a special session. Moreover, consultations with agricultural and food industry associations are held.

The EU Commission passed an Implementing Decision on 11 February 2025, laying down the further steps regarding the animal health restricted zones. The Decision was possible because the animal disease control measures were implemented speedily and there was no further spread of the disease. First, the 3-km restricted zone was lifted with immediate effect and integrated into the surveillance zone. As a further step, the surveillance measures will remain in force in a smaller zone, the “containment zone”, from 24 February 2025 until 11 April 2025.

WOAH, the World Organisation for Animal Health, has now accepted Germany’s application to establish this containment zone. The status of being free from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) without vaccination was thus reinstated for most of Germany as of 12.03.2025. The only area exempt from this is the containment zone; the suspension of the status of free from FMD will remain in place for this zone, and certain FMD control measures will continue to be carried out, until at least 11 April 2025.

The recognition of the containment zone, and consequently the rapid reinstatement of the WOAH freedom status, were possible due to the submission of a comprehensive dossier to the WOAH. The dossier was drawn up in the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) - in more than two weeks of comprehensive cooperation between the BMEL and the affected Laender of Brandenburg and Berlin, the FLI and an expert sent from the EU.

Having the WOAH reinstate the freedom from FMD status for Germany outside the affected area is therefore a very important step in order to facilitate the reopening of the closed markets. This enables regionalisation negotiations with third countries to be continued with greater vigour.

The key facts

• Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious, but usually non-fatal, viral infection of cloven-hoofed animals which may, however, also affect certain other species.
• The disease is spread across the world. However, FMD has not been present in the European Union for several years.
• FMD is a vesicular disease of the claws, the oral mucosa and the udder that cannot be distinguished from other vesicular diseases in clinical terms. Laboratory diagnostics are therefore decisive to clarify suspect cases.
• The virus can easily be transmitted by animate or inanimate vectors, especially by animals during the incubation period or by clinically affected animals and their products. But it can also spread over long distances by air.
• Animals that have recovered from the disease can remain carriers of the infectious FMD virus over a long period of time.
• FMD is harmless to humans. Under today’s hygiene conditions, pasteurised milk or milk products pose no risk to consumer health. The experiences gained with FMD outbreaks in the past support this assessment. Individual infections in humans who had direct and intensive contact with infected cloven-hoofed animals or with the FMD virus itself are described in technical literature. In these rare cases, the illnesses took a benign course.

FMD is a disease listed with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The disease has the potential for rapid spreading, irrespective of national borders. It can have severe animal health and socio-economic effects and can result in heavy economic losses due to restrictions in the international trade in animals and animal products.

Measures in case of an FMD outbreak

In Germany, the federal states (or Länder) are responsible for animal disease control. The authorities competent pursuant to Land law carry out the animal disease control measures. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) supports the epidemiological investigations. In the event of an FMD outbreak, restricted zones are established around the affected holdings. These restricted zones are subject to a general movement ban on susceptible animals and their products. Susceptible animals and their products may still be moved on the basis of officially granted exemptions.

Released 18. Mar 2025 as article