Hungarian gov't establishes new operational unit to combat foot-and-mouth disease

Regarding the foot-and-mouth disease affecting cattle, Minister of Agriculture István Nagy stated that four cattle farms remain affected, with no new infected animals or farms identified by authorities so far.

The minister added that since the virus can spread very easily, even by wind, stopping the epidemic is not an easy task. He announced that the government is establishing an Animal Health Operational Unit to coordinate the work of authorities and security organizations involved in defense measures.

The unit's first meeting to decide on necessary further actions was scheduled for Saturday.

Poland was the first EU country to impose restrictions on Hungarian livestock, followed by Slovakia, Serbia, Austria, and Italy. After two weeks, shipments could resume, but many countries now only accept shipments with blood test confirmation of infection-free status. According to data from the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih), 27 countries, including five EU Member States, have introduced varying degrees of restrictions on Hungarian products. The situation is even worse for third countries, as Hungarian breeders cannot export outside the European Union for at least one year.

A very small number of viruses is sufficient to infect a susceptible animal, and the pathogen is highly resistant in the environment. Animals begin shedding large amounts of the virus within hours of infection, making the first symptoms visible throughout the entire herd within 24-48 hours. This necessitates immediate quarantine of infected farms to prevent virus spread. The virus can easily spread through infected animals, their meat, milk, and various objects including human clothing and vehicles.

Domestic animal production sector increasingly affected by the epidemic

For the time being, there is no panic in the pork industry, with meat businesses hoping that the European Commission will pressure member states to lift the import ban. Although there is some loss of confidence among foreign partners, Hungarian pork can still be sold on EU markets.

Zsombor Wagenhoffer, executive director of the Association of Hungarian Animal Breeders, said it was too early to assess the damage. The epidemic is not only causing losses on the directly affected farms, but also collateral damage for two thirds of the sector.

Pig farmers are particularly affected as even a week's delay can cause significant losses due to the one kilogram per day weight gain. In the affected counties, 8-10,000 pigs are waiting to be sold every week, while it is becoming increasingly difficult to find buyers.

The cattle sector is less affected at the moment, as the main marketing season for beef cattle is in autumn. Sheep farmers, on the other hand, are seriously concerned about the developments, especially in view of the upcoming Easter period, when 350,000 lambs are expected to be sold on the Italian market.

In 2024, domestic pork production will set a record with 167,000 tonnes of exports and a value of HUF 193 billion. However, the cattle sector has been on a downward trend for several years: live cattle exports fell from 78,400 tonnes in 2022 to 63,800 tonnes in 2024. Cover photo (for illustration purposes only): Shutterstock