Food of animal origin placed on the market in Hungary is safe

(Photo: drnagyistvan.hu)

István Nagy said that avian influenza, African swine fever, plague of small ruminants and now foot-and-mouth disease virus cause very serious dangers and economic damage to farm animals. At the same time, he indicated that in recent years, animal keepers have been consciously helped in the prevention of epidemics and animal diseases. Among the measures taken so far, he mentioned that 12 billion forints are spent annually to support the costs of sampling, laboratory diagnostic tests, medical treatment or immunization in the case of cattle, pigs, poultry or small ruminants. He highlighted that 2,336 livestock farms were built or renovated in the rural development program, and the calls for applications also included technological developments in animal hygiene.

Technological solutions include reducing the risk of infectious diseases being introduced and spreading within farms

István Nagy pointed out that in the case of African swine fever, it is clear what results organized, concerted action can achieve, “since we have managed to protect the domestic pig population from the disease to this day.” “We can demonstrate all this by the fact that over the past three years, despite our country’s protests, the EU support rate for animal health measures has decreased by more than 50 percent,” the minister stated. He also mentioned that special attention was paid to supporting disease control investments in the applications for the development of livestock farms announced last year. Thanks to this, around 1,400 investments can be realized. “Let’s not forget that within the framework of epidemic control measures, the costs of killing animals, disposing of animal carcasses, necessary equipment, destruction of infected materials and disinfection are covered by the Hungarian budget,” István Nagy said in a video uploaded to the social media site.

MTI