After an outbreak of the mouth and foot disease (MFK) in Brandenburg, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture is deferring the decision on vaccinating farm animals to the state level.
“It’s up to the states to decide whether to vaccinate against the mouth and foot disease” a ministry spokesperson said in Berlin on Monday. The states can submit a request for an emergency vaccination in a working group, the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, the Union is calling on Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Cem Özdemir to take measures to mitigate the consequences. Fraktionsvize Steffen Bilger (CDU) told the Rheinische Post (Tuesday’s edition): “The minister must now take all necessary steps to limit the economic impact of the mouth and foot disease as much as possible.”
Bilger added that the outbreak is “a heavy blow to the German livestock industry.” Since the export of calves, milk products, and meat outside the quarantine zones is still possible within the EU internal market, “the federal government cannot accept the Netherlands’ ban on the export of fattening calves” said an agricultural expert.
“A trade ban should not be allowed to come into effect, even vis-à-vis third countries. This requires the use of all diplomatic channels by the federal government” Bilger said. The federal government stated that the agreements with third countries are often very different. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the impact of the outbreak on a case-by-case basis first.