Meat and dairy from Hungary and Slovakia banned as foot and mouth spreads

Imports of meat and dairy from Hungary and Slovakia have been banned in the UK after foot and mouth disease cases were detected near the border of the two countries.

Defra has this week stopped commercial imports of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, deer and their untreated products, such as fresh meat and dairy, from both countries after being alerted of an FMD case on a cattle farm in the north west of Hungary – its first in more than 50 years.

The highly contagious disease has been spreading across Europe, with German meat and dairy foodstuffs also banned earlier this year due to an outbreak outside of Berlin.

The government said action was “underway with local authorities and traders to address possible risks from goods on the way to GB”.

Such goods “must be pre-notified and wider border systems in place will prevent consignments” entering Britain, according to Defra.

Additionally, individual travellers will no longer be able to bring meat, meat products, milk and dairy products, certain composite products and animal by-products of pigs and ruminants from Hungary and Slovakia to the country.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of FMD following the recent outbreaks in Hungary and Germany.

“We remain in contact with our Hungarian counterparts to understand the latest situation following their confirmation of a single case of foot and mouth disease, and measures are now being taken to contain and eradicate the outbreak,” said Dr Christine Middlemiss.

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

Read more: Banned German meat imports ’entered the UK for a week’ despite foot and mouth outbreak

However, the farming community has expressed concern that biosecurity controls at the border are not strong enough to stop all imports – particularly after it emerged that banned German goods had managed to cross UK borders due to an IT issue that failed to flag affected meat and dairy consignments.

At the same time illegal meat imports have been on the rise, with border authorities struggling to intercept all illegal meats coming from Europe.

The UK’s biosecurity measures are currently subject to an inquiry by Westminster’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has called on the government to “deploy stronger security measures to combat the illegal import of meat to the UK” specifically, which “poses significant risks to animal health and the UK’s biosecurity”.

FUW president Ian Rickman said: “News of FMD on mainland Europe for the second time this year will be a cause for alarm among livestock owners.

“While it’s crucial to stress that this disease poses no threat to human health or food safety, as evidenced by the 2001 outbreak, its potential impact on the agricultural sector and our rural economy and communities cannot be understated.

“In light of the developing situation, I’d like to remind livestock keepers to remain vigilant and practise good biosecurity.”

Read more: Foot and mouth disease: how prepared is the UK?

Rickman said there was “a dire need to increase security measures and vigilance to combat illegal meat imports – these pose a significant threat to animal health and the UK’s biosecurity, and in light of this most recent threat, significantly stronger government action to combat these illegal imports is essential”.

FMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious virus for cloven-hoofed animals and rodents that can cause major losses to the livestock industry – not only due to production losses in the affected animals but also loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for the impacted country.

The last major outbreak in the UK occurred in 2001 and cost the sector around £8bn.

Farming minister Daniel Zeichner said the government would do “whatever it takes to protect our nation’s farmers from the risk posed by foot and mouth disease”.