Hungary detects first case of foot-and-mouth disease in 50 years

Hungarian authorities have detected a case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at a 1,400-strong cattle farm on the border with Slovakia, in the country’s first outbreak in 50 years, its National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) reported on Friday.

Nébih was informed of FMD symptoms at “the beginning of March” and immediately issued “extremely strict official measures,” including a ban on live animals and their meat, the agency said.

“The liquidation of the herd and the detection of the source of the infection are in progress,” it added.

FMD is the most feared animal disease in the world. Highly contagious in ruminants like cows, pigs, sheep and goats, it rarely kills livestock, but causes fever, loss of appetite, and blisters in the hooves and mouth that require the whole herd to be culled.

Germany is recovering from its own FMD scare in January, when an outbreak in water buffalo triggered expensive emergency measures, costing up to €1 billion in lost exports and prompting bans in the U.K., Mexico, and South Korea.

The German outbreak has been contained, but European authorities fear a repeat of a 2001 epidemic in the U.K., which cost the agricultural and tourism sectors over €15 billion and led to the slaughter of more than 6 million animals.

Commission officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This story has been updated.