The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) has ordered measures to prevent the spread of the foot and mouth disease virus to Romania after an outbreak was detected in neighboring Hungary, the Authority said on Friday.
"On March 6, Hungary notified through the World Animal Health Information System of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a dairy farm in northern Hungary, near the city of Gyor, close to the border with Slovakia. The disease was confirmed by lab tests. Also, on January 10, 2025 Germany announced its first outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 36 years, on a buffalo farm in the state of Brandenburg, near the city of Berlin," the statement reads.
ANSVSA has ordered additional prevention measures, such as: informing representatives of the main cattle, pig, sheep and goat breeder associations that they are required to notify the veterinarian about animals presenting behavioral changes, illness or mortality cases; publicizing the need and obligation of animal owners to notify the veterinarian whenever they notice behavioral changes, illness or mortality in animals; posting printed materials at free veterinary practices, city halls, churches, etc. with the aforementioned requirements.
According to the animal health watchdog, the transport of animals and animal products from the restricted area (30 km around the city of Gyor) is temporarily suspended.
The authority also ordered the stricter monitoring of all transports of cattle, pigs, sheep and goats as part of intra-community trade; more traffic controls to identify any unauthorized transports of animals; communication to economic operators who purchase cattle, pigs, sheep and goats about the obligation to pre-notify the county Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate of any purchase of animals of the above-mentioned species from the European Union. For each such transport the veterinarian shall assist in the unloading of the animals from the truck and shall perform a clinical examination of all animals.
The county Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorates shall keep all operators and county institutions informed.
Depending on the evolution of the epidemiological investigation and the notifications received, ANSVSA will send out recommendations and instructions through service notes regarding the evolution of the foot and mouth disease in the European Union. These shall be implemented by organizing meetings with the parties involved and interested.
Comentează