Pigs to be culled near cases of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany

After the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was detected in a herd of water buffaloes in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, pigs in a nearby region are also to be culled, officials said Friday.

The deputy district administrator of Märkisch-Oderland, Friedemann Hanke, said that all cloven-hoofed animals within 1 kilometre of the pasture with the affected water buffalo herd would be killed.

This includes a pig farm with around 200 animals in the neighbouring district of Barnim, as well as four sheep.

The outbreak in Märkisch-Oderland, not far from Berlin, represents the first known cases of FMD in Germany since 1988, and the first ever case in the state of Brandenburg. The country and the broader European Union have been considered free of FMD in recent years.

Three water buffaloes that died in the town of Hönow were confirmed to be infected with the disease, Brandenburg's state Agriculture Minister Hanka Mittelstädt announced on Friday morning.

The remaining 11 water buffaloes in the herd will be killed and disposed of as a precaution to reduce the risk of further spread, according to local officials.

Within a restricted zone with a radius of three kilometres, samples will be taken from all animal husbandry facilities with even-toed ungluates - animals with an even number of hooved toes - said Deputy District Administrator Hanke.

In a wider surveillance zone, there will be random sampling. The transport of animals and feed is prohibited in these areas, according to Hanke. In addition, information signs are to be set up in the zones.