The European Union has recently taken several actions to tackle foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia by 2025 and prevent further spread. These actions include emergency measures, border controls and cooperation with international organisations.
In January 2025, FMD was detected for the first time in almost 40 years in water buffaloes in Brandenburg, Germany. This led to immediate measures, including the culling of infected animals and the establishment of protection and surveillance zones. The European Commission supported these actions and applied the 'regionalisation principle', allowing export restrictions were limited to the affected regions
In March 2025, Hungary reported an FMD outbreak in Győr-Moson-Sopron province, followed by cases in Slovakia near the border with Hungary. Both countries introduced strict control measures, including the culling of infected herds and the establishment of protection zones. The European Commission took emergency measures to limit the spread and coordinated efforts between member states .
The EU bases its approach to FMD on the Animal Health Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/429) and the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, which set out specific control measures for FMD. These include culling of infected animals, movement restrictions and the establishment of protection and surveillance zones. In addition, the EU maintains a plan for rapid production of vaccines in emergencies.
In April 2025, the Netherlands donated 50,000 doses of FMD vaccine to Slovakia to help control the outbreak there. These vaccines had previously been purchased as a precaution following the outbreak in Germany. Minister Femke Wiersma stressed the importance of European solidarity and indicated that the Netherlands would keep enough vaccines in reserve for any outbreak of its own.
Following the FMD outbreak in Hungary, the NVWA carried out a risk assessment. This showed that no shipments of cattle or pigs from the infected region to the Netherlands had taken place since mid-January 2025, with the exception of one shipment for direct slaughter. Based on this analysis, the NVWA did not consider additional measures necessary in the Netherlands at that time. However, it did call for increased vigilance and strict adherence to biosecurity measures.
For more details on the measures taken and the current situation around FMD in the Netherlands, please visit the central government website:Central government+2RVO.nl+2
