Further import restrictions have been introduced by the UK Government following a new foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in eastern Europe.

Hungarian officials confirmed on Friday (7 March) that the disease had been detected on a farm in the village of Kisbajcs, 1km from its border with Slovakia.

A ban on the import of meat and dairy products into Great Britain from both nations was announced the same day and came into force on Saturday.

Action

UK CVO Christine Middlemiss said officials were “in contact” with their Hungarian counterparts to establish what action was being taken to contain the disease.

She added: “I would urge livestock keepers to exercise the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, follow scrupulous biosecurity and report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.”

The latest restrictions follow the implementation of a similar ban on imports from Germany following an FMD case there in January.

Restrictions

Ministers and officials subsequently denied claims they had acted too slowly to impose restrictions in the wake of the German case.

But, in response to the latest case, farming minister Daniel Zeichner said: The government will do whatever it takes to protect our nation’s farmers from the risk posed by FMD.

“We will not hesitate to add additional countries to the list if the disease spreads. We will continue to keep the situation under review working closely with the Hungarian and Slovakian authorities.”