Germany regains FMD-free status, ministry says

Germany has regained its status as free of foot-and-mouth disease in most areas of the country, opening the way for the lifting of export restrictions on meat and dairy products, Reuters reported, citing Germany’s agriculture ministry.

Germany announced the country's first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in nearly 40 years on January 10 in a herd of water buffalo near Berlin in the Brandenburg region. The outbreak remains limited to one case, with no others reported since. The source of the case is still unknown but most domestic restrictions following the case are already lifted. The World Organization for Animal Health has accepted an application to have most of Germany declared free of foot-and-mouth disease, the ministry said. With effect from March 12, all of Germany apart from a small containment zone around the site of the original case has been declared foot-and-mouth-free, the ministry said.