Food System

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Germany

January 13, 2025

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On 10 January 2025, WOAH (World Organisation for Animal Health) and the German reference laboratory (Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut) reported the first outbreak of foot and mouth veterinary disease (FMVD) in Germany, 37 years after the eradication of the disease. (1)

The infection was detected on the carcasses of three deceased buffaloes on a small farm in Hoppegarten, in the Märkisch-Oderland region of Brandenburg, between Berlin and the Polish border. Veterinary authorities are still investigating how the animals contracted the disease. (2)

Table of Contents

1) Foot and Mouth Disease, introduction

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a viral disease that is not transmissible to humans but is highly contagious for ungulates (cattle, buffalo, pigs, sheep and goats) and some wild animals (i.e. wild boars, deer). Some news and data below:

– causes. FMD is caused by a aphthovirus Family Picornaviridae. Seven serotypes, with a multitude of subtypes and variants, are still endemic in several countries of the world; (3)

– diffusion. FMD is a transboundary animal disease. It is estimated that it circulates in 77% of all livestock in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as in a limited area of South America;

– prevention. The main measures consist of effective surveillance, early detection and early warning systems. WOAH has drawn up an official list of countries that are free from the disease (even if only in defined zones or compartments);

– symptoms and effects. Infected animals develop blisters in the mouth, udder and paws, as well as excessive salivation. Mortality is generally low in adult animals (1-5%), higher in young animals (>20%). The incubation period is 2-14 days;

– economic impact. Foot-and-mouth disease has a profound impact on the livestock sector, with a serious impact on regional and international trade in both animals and animal products;

– vaccines. Vaccination against individual strains of FMD is possible. (4) The European Union has also adopted a non-vaccination policy since 1991. (5)

2) Foot and mouth disease in the European Union, the background

In the last decades, the European Union has recorded:

– a serious FMD epidemic in 2001, which spread first to the United Kingdom (where over two million animals were slaughtered) and from there to France, Ireland and the Netherlands;

– two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK and Cyprus in 2007;

– an outbreak in Bulgaria, in 2011;

– the subsequent recognition of the aforementioned countries, as well as the European Union itself, as FMD-exempt status.

Animal Health Law in any case, prescribes priority attention to FMD in public and private surveillance activities on animal health (6,7).

3) FMD, the outbreak in Germany

The veterinary authority competent for the district of Märkisch-Oderland (Brandenburg, Germany), following the confirmation of the diagnosis of FMD on the three deceased buffaloes, ordered the culling of the other eleven animals present on the farm involved.

Preliminary epidemiological investigations measures would have currently excluded the movement of animals or products to other farms, territories and Member States. The competent authority has established protection zones (3 km) and surveillance zones (10 km), in accordance with EU rules.

Characterization of the virus and further investigations should allow – hopefully, at least – to identify the origin of the outbreak and any flaws in the systems of traceability, public controls, surveillance. Without being able to exclude, at the moment, hypotheses of agrobioterrorism.

4) Italy, enhanced surveillance

The Ministry of Health in Italy immediately issued a circular highlighting the very high morbidity of the foot-and-mouth disease virus, to ask the Regions and trade associations to:

– pay maximum attention and increase passive surveillance throughout the national territory;

– raise awareness among pig, cattle and sheep and goat farmers to report any suspected case of disease to the competent authorities. (8)

The general management for animal health is checking the movements of animals and products coming from the district concerned to identify any risky batches. (9)

Dario Dongo

Footnotes

(1) Event 6177 – Germany – Foot and mouth disease virus. WOHA (World Organization for Animal Health). 1.10.25 https://tinyurl.com/3k42vs6x

(2) FLI confirms foot-and-mouth disease in Brandenburg water buffalo. Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, National Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FDM). December 10, 2025 https://tinyurl.com/2cwcuumh

(3) Aiewsakun, P., Pamornchainavakul, N. & Inchaisri, C. Early origin and global colonization of foot-and-mouth disease virus. Sci Rep 10, 15268 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72246-6

(4) Foot and mouth disease. WOHA https://tinyurl.com/y8zz2b97

(5) Sobrino F, Domingo E. Foot-and-mouth disease in Europe. FMD is economically the most important disease of farm animals. Its re-emergence in Europe is likely to have consequences that go beyond severe alterations of livestock production and trade. EMBO Rep. 2001 Jun;2(6):459-61. doi: 10.1093/embo-reports/kve122

(6) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’). Consolidated text 21.4.21 https://tinyurl.com/2krnr2xa

(7) See also Dario Dongo, Marina De Nobili. Animal health, 7 new regulations complete EU reform. FT (Food Times). July 1, 2020

(8) See also the Operational Manual for foot-and-mouth disease of the National Reference Centre for Vesicular Diseases (CERVES) https://tinyurl.com/mwmkrs5z

(9) Ministry of Health, DG Animal Health. Foot and mouth disease – outbreak in a buffalo farm in Germany. Circular 10.1.25