Confinement, grazing ban and mandatory slaughter are necessary to curb RSzKF

Last week, the Slovak authorities detected the presence of the RSzKF pathogen in three cattle herds, one in Medve, one in Csiliznyárad and one in Baka. In order to curb the epidemic, the national chief veterinarian, Dr. Szabolcs Pásztor, decided to introduce new measures. A grazing ban has come into effect in the 10 km strip along the border in Győr-Moson-Sopron county until April 7. In the surveillance zone established due to the outbreaks in Slovakia, cattle and sheep must be kept closed during this period. Pigs may play a significant role in the spread of the virus. The epidemiological risk can be significantly reduced by slaughtering the pig population, which farmers must do in the restricted area by March 31. Backyard farmers can choose home slaughter, the date of which must be reported in advance to the local veterinary service, as samples are also taken from the slaughtered animal in this case. As an alternative, slaughtering the animals, in addition to state compensation, is also reliable for the authority. The list of settlements affected by the individual measures is available here.

The appearance of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock – due to its extremely high contagiousness and rapid spread – has serious economic consequences. To contain the epidemic, it is also recommended to slaughter susceptible animals in the 10 km zone along the border, which in some cases may also be done with state compensation.