Foot and mouth outbreak: FAO calls for enhanced surveillance as disease spreads

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that urgent action is needed to tackle the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). In an alert to countries in the Near East and West Eurasia to enhance how prepared they are to tackle the FMD, the organization underscores the need for early detection and enhanced biosecurity measures to minimize the impacts of the disease.

FMD is a highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and various wild species. Although not a threat to human health, FMD severely impacts food security, livelihoods, and national and international trade.

Worst FMD outbreak in Europe since 2001

The outbreak of the disease in Europe and the introduction of an exotic virus strain into the Near East, continues to cause great concern. The FAO stresses that Europe faces its worst outbreak of FMD since the start of the century.

FMD is not considered a public health threat by the FAO, but the organization emphasizes that the disease severely impacts animal health and welfare, food security and livelihoods by reducing livestock productivity, including through lower milk and meat yields. 

The FAO estimates that FMD-related economic losses (global production losses and vaccination costs) are approximately US$21 billion annually. But the real cost of losses is likely to be much higher when factoring in the disruptions to both international and local trade. 

In January, meat exports from Germany were halted following an outbreak of FMD, the country’s first in 37 years. The outbreak was found in a herd of water buffalo outside Berlin. Governments in the UK, South Korea, and Mexico enforced bans on meat and dairy imports from the country.

The World Organisation for Animal Health reinstated the status of “free from FMD without vaccination” for Germany on April 14, 2025. 

Then in March, the UK government banned imports of some meat and dairy products from Hungary and Slovakia following a confirmed case of the disease. Shortly afterward, the British government also banned all travelers from bringing meat or dairy products into the country from the EU.

According to the FAO, there has been a recent upsurge in outbreaks in the Near East caused by an exotic serotype that was likely introduced from East Africa. Cases have been reported by Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait, though other countries in the Near East and West Eurasia regions are at a high-risk of being affected.

Meanwhile, several strains of the FMD virus continue to circulate in different parts of the world.

FAO recommendations

FAO urges all countries to maintain vigilance against the ongoing threat posed by FMD. It calls for awareness campaigns to advise farmers and communities of the increased threat of FMD and the measures they can take to protect their livestock. 

Biosecurity also needs to be boosted with measures like separating sick animals from other livestock and having them examined by an animal health professional; avoiding the introduction of animals from unknown sources to maintain the health and safety of livestock on unaffected farms; and avoiding mixing different livestock consignments during transport and at markets. 

The FAO calls for vaccination for controlling FMD but stresses that it is crucial that vaccines are well-matched to the field strains, and they should be administered according to the manufacturer’s specifications.