Czech Republic tightens foot-and-mouth disease protection measures

By: STA Date: 2025. 03. 31. 09:30

In the Czech Republic, no cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been detected so far, but given the nearby epicenter of the severe epidemic in Slovakia, the Czech authorities are tightening preventive protection measures, Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny announced at a press conference in Prague on Monday after a telephone conversation with his Slovak counterpart.

(Photo: Pixabay)

According to the minister, the import of certain animal products from Slovakia, Hungary, Lower Austria and Burgenland will be prohibited from midnight on Monday. On the Czech-Austrian border, checks on 3.5-ton trucks have been extended to the Gmünd-Halámky border crossing.

Milk on farms in South Moravia is expected to be checked from Tuesday, because the disease appears in milk the earliest

The checks apply to all farms with more than a hundred cows. In the districts of Breclav and Hodonín, which are located near the Slovak border, the checks also apply to smaller livestock keepers. “Our goal is to detect possible suspected cases of infection as soon as possible. The disease can usually be detected in milk three to five days earlier,” the Minister of Agriculture explained the decision.

In the coming days, wild animals will also be checked in the South Moravian region

The Minister emphasized that farmers in South Moravia should not import young goat meat and lamb from Slovakia before the upcoming Easter holidays, as has been customary in the region so far. “This would be a serious risk, a gamble in the current situation,” Marek Vyborny said. In the coming days, veterinary staff from the Czech army will also be involved in the checks. The Czech Republic has already started checking and disinfecting trucks arriving from Slovakia and Austria at the border. The minister said that these checks will be tightened and extended to other border crossings.

MTI