Germany’s farming and food industries could face a potential loss of up to €1 billion ($1 billion) as a result of the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the head of the country’s farming cooperatives association stated in a report. The outbreak, which marks the first in nearly 40 years, has raised serious concerns about the economic impact on the agriculture sector.
On January 10, German authorities confirmed the first case of foot-and-mouth disease in nearly four decades. The infection was discovered in a herd of water buffalo on the outskirts of Berlin, in the Brandenburg region. Foot-and-mouth disease, while highly infectious among livestock, does not pose a threat to humans.
In response to the outbreak, several countries, including the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Mexico, have implemented import bans on German meat and dairy products. These restrictions are typically imposed as part of efforts to contain the disease and prevent its spread.
Joerg Migende, the head of Germany’s association of farming cooperatives DRV, discussed the economic fallout from the outbreak. “We believe the sales loss along the value-added chain could exceed €1 billion,” he said in an interview with German television programme ARD-Hauptstadtstudio. “The economic damage from this foot-and-mouth outbreak looks immense.”
The United Kingdom alone imported over £448 million ($545 million) worth of German pig meat between January and October 2024, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. Dairy products from Germany during the same period were valued at £283 million. The closure of these key markets due to trade restrictions could have long-lasting consequences for the German agricultural sector.
As of January 16, German authorities were continuing to test animals in the quarantine zone in Brandenburg, with results pending. The European Commission, which oversees EU-wide trade regulations, has stated that it is in regular contact with German officials. The Commission emphasized that under EU rules, the principle of “regionalisation” would apply, meaning that only the affected region—Brandenburg—would face trade restrictions, while products from unaffected areas of Germany could still be sold within the EU.
Meanwhile, France has heightened its monitoring of foot-and-mouth disease following the outbreak in Germany. France’s agriculture ministry issued a statement confirming that additional checks and alerts had been issued to veterinarians, in an effort to prevent the disease from spreading across the border. The country is already grappling with other animal diseases, such as bird flu and bluetongue, which have caused significant damage to its livestock sector.
“The Ministry is on alert regarding this issue,” said a spokesperson from the French agriculture ministry. “Our departments are closely monitoring developments in Germany and have significantly increased controls and investigations in the affected animal sectors.”
The full impact of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Germany remains to be seen, but the ongoing trade restrictions and efforts to contain the disease could create substantial challenges for the country’s farming and food industries in the coming months.
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