Surging Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak across Austria's Neighbors: Border Action
The Current Situation
Austria shuts down border passages with Slovakia and Hungary. - Austria shutters border crossings with Slovakia and Hungary.
Recent months have seen contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in Austria's neighboring countries. In Hungary, two farm incidents occurred - the first on March 6, 2025, near Gyor, close to the Slovakian border, and the second confirmed on March 30, 2025, near the Austrian border. These cases prompted immediate action, such as movement restrictions and surveillance measures.
Similarly, Slovakia declared an emergency after discovering FMD on three farms following Hungary's outbreaks. As of now, Austria has not experienced a similar outbreak since 1981.
Border Controls: Austrian Measures
To halt the spread of FMD, Austria has enforced stringent border measures:
- Temporarily Closing Crossings: Austria has shut down two minor crossings with Slovakia and 21 with Hungary, focusing on the busier border points to bolster surveillance and checks.
- Expanded Surveillance Zone: In response to the second Hungarian outbreak, Austria has expanded its surveillance zone, including veterinary inspections and random sampling of vulnerable animals around the border region.
Additional Measures Across Countries
- To control the situation, Hungary has deployed soldiers for disinfection and containment and has imposed restrictions on animal movement in affected areas.
- Slovakia has imposed a restriction zone near the Hungarian border.
- Both Austria and Slovakia are concentrating their efforts on preventing the disease's expansion across their borders via enhanced surveillance and restriction measures.
These strategic actions are vital in mitigating the FMD threat, safeguarding livestock industries in the affected countries.
- In response to the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks in neighboring countries, Austria is currently reviewing its community policy and employment policy to ensure appropriate measures are in place, particularly regarding border control and livestock surveillance.
- Austria's employment policy is undergoing modification, as the government is hiring additional skilled veterinarians and sanitation specialists to bolster border controls in the wake of the FMD outbreaks in neighboring nations, particularly Hungary and Slovakia.
- In light of the increasing importance of consulting with neighboring countries about Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks, Austria is actively engaging in discussions with Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia to establish a coordinated employment policy to effectively manage the crisis, focusing on border control, animal health, and livestock industry safety.
