Information in English on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
On 10 January 2025, a case of foot-and-mouth disease in water buffaloes was confirmed in the rural district of Märkisch-Oderland in the federal state of Brandenburg. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral infection of cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs). Zoo and wild animals can also fall ill from FMD. The disease is spread across the world and is harmless to humans. The disease has not occurred in Germany since 1988. In Germany, the federal states (or Länder) are responsible for animal disease control.
Current situation
On 10 January 2025, a case of foot-and-mouth disease in water buffaloes was confirmed in the rural district of Märkisch-Oderland in the federal state of Brandenburg. Official measures to kill the affected animals and establish restricted zones were taken immediately. Epidemiological investigations to clarify the origin of the disease and to identify possible contact holdings are currently being carried out with the support of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute.
The competent authority in Brandenburg has established restricted zones (a protection zone with a radius of at least three kilometres and a surveillance zone with a radius of at least ten kilometres around the affected farm), 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 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. The EU Commission passed an Implementing Decision on 11.2.2025, 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. The 3-km restricted zone has been lifted with immediate effect and integrated into the surveillance zone. The surveillance zone will remain in place until 24th February. After this, the surveillance measures will then remain in force in a smaller zone until 11 April.
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. This standstill lasted until 17 January 2025 in Brandenburg and 27 January 2025 in Berlin.
A standstill is a vital measure for gaining relevant knowledge about the outbreak and thus for preventing any further spread of this highly contagious animal disease. Berlin’s Zoo and Tierpark were closed (the Zoo until 24 January 2025), 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. Consultations have also already been held with agricultural and food industry associations.
Now that the Friedrich Loeffler Institute has identified the virus serotype, the suitable vaccine will quickly be able to be produced in a sufficient quantity thanks to the existing FMD vaccine bank (activation of the vaccine reserve). Brandenburg has now requested the activation of this vaccine reserve in order to be equipped for all conceivable scenarios and to be able to respond quickly should vaccinations become necessary. The activation of the vaccine reserve at this point in time is intended to strengthen the capacity to respond in the control of the disease, since at least six days are needed from activation to the possible provision of the vaccine. The activation of the vaccine reserve is not tantamount to a decision on whether the vaccine will actually be deployed. Its use will only be considered if the outbreak continues to spread.
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.
Information & measures from the responsible federal states (in German)
EU information & measures
Expert information
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI): Risk Assessment to evaluate the infectivity of pasteurised milk for animals susceptible to FMD
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI): FAQ Vaccination against footand-mouth disease (FMD)
- Information from the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) on foot-and-mouth disease
- Information from the Institute of Diagnostic Virology (IVD) on foot-and-mouth disease
General legal provisions (partly in German)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’)
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as regards animal health requirements for movements within the Union of terrestrial animals and hatching eggs
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards rules for surveillance, eradication programmes, and disease-free status for certain listed and emerging diseases
- Verordnung zum Schutz gegen die Maul- und Klauenseuche (MKS-Verordnung)
Further information provided by the BMEL (partly in German)
- FAQs on foot-and-mouth disease
- Brandenburg stellt Antrag zur Aktivierung der Impfstoff-Datenbank wegen Maul- und Klauenseuche
- Maul- und Klauenseuche: Europäische Kommission schafft Grundlage für Regionalisierung
- Schäden durch den von Ausbruch der Maul- und Klauenseuche minimieren
- Update zur Maul- und Klauenseuche in Brandenburg: Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut bestimmt Serotyp des in Brandenburg gefundenen Virus
- BMEL ruft Zentralen Krisenstab wegen Maul-und-Klauenseuche ein
