GERMANY/ UNITED KINGDOM: GERMANY INTRODUCES NEW MEASURES TO PREVENT SPREAD OF FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE ENTERING THE COUNTRY FROM BRITAIN

Record ID: 337968

  • Title: GERMANY/ UNITED KINGDOM: GERMANY INTRODUCES NEW MEASURES TO PREVENT SPREAD OF FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE ENTERING THE COUNTRY FROM BRITAIN
  • Date: 27th February 2001
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 27, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. MV/WS: BRITISH AIRWAYS PLANE COMING TO HALT (2 SHOTS) 0.09 2. PAN: PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH TO CUSTOMS AREA 0.23 3. VARIOUS: SIGNS ON CUSTOMS WINDOWS WARNING TRAVELLERS OF NEW RESTRICTIONS REGARDING FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE, ASKING TOURISTS TO PUT MEAT AND DAIRY PRODUCTS INTO SPECIAL
  • Embargoed: 14th March 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: FRANKFURT, BONN AND BERLIN, GERMANY/ LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA6EAFS8G8926UOT3L2JW5VIJ8P
  • Story Text: Germany has been monitoring it's main airports and
    ferry terminals for fear of any British foodstuffs entering
    the country.

    The German government's chief veterinary officer has
    warned that if the foot-and-mouth disease were to break out in
    Germany there would be great problems culling or vaccinating
    animals fast enough.


    Officials were monitoring Germany's main airports and
    ferry terminals on Tuesday (February 27), to make sure that
    passengers are not carrying any British foodstuffs after the
    outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom.

    The German government's chief veterinary officer has said
    that if the foot-and-mouth disease breaks out in Germany, a
    country densely populated with livestock, there will be great
    problems culling or vaccinating animals fast enough in order
    to get the problem under control.

    Werner Zwingmann told Reuters Television on Tuesday
    (February 27), that "England's chief veterinary officer
    yesterday asked me for German support because he can no longer
    deal with (the problem) by himself anymore."
    Zwingmann said that "in a situation like this there can be
    no mention of panic: just take a look at the situation in
    England where they are desperate."
    Germany stepped up precautionary measures against the
    highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease as top health
    officials said they were deeply concerned German farms could
    become infected.

    Thousands of sheep and pigs have been imported into
    Germany from Britain in the past few weeks.

    German officials said on Tuesday that sheep protectively
    slaughtered this week had come into contact with animals
    infected with foot-and-mouth disease but had not contracted
    the highly contagious virus.

    Germany began the slaughter earlier on Tuesday of about
    1,500 sheep and lambs in North Rhine-Westphalia in an effort
    to prevent foot-and-mouth disease spreading into the country
    via livestock imported from Britain.

    German Consumer Affairs and Farm Minister Renate Kuenast
    said there were strong fears the disease could spread from
    Britain, where four new cases of foot-and-mouth disease were
    confirmed on Tuesday, bringing the UK total to 16.

    Generally, foot-and-mouth's incubation period is two days
    for pigs and cattle and up to four days for sheep, although it
    can take longer for individual animals. In Britain, officials
    allow 10 days before certifying a farm is free of disease.

    The disease, which causes blisters in the mouth and on the
    feet of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats, has little or no effect
    on humans but can be carried on clothing and shoes as well as
    vehicles and even the wind.

    German and Dutch authorities ordered animals imported
    from Britain to be slaughtered as a precaution, and Belgium
    has clamped down on livestock movements.

    Protective measures were also taken at the world famous
    London Zoo.

    Visitors had to wipe their feet on disinfected door mats
    as they entered and left the zoo, in an attempt to stop the
    spread of the virus to cloven-hoofed mammals.

    The zoo's director, Doctor Jo Gipps, said "What we're
    doing is we're ensuring that all our visitors walk through
    these disinfectant pads. We're doing the same sort of things
    with vehicles and so on; many of the same sorts of precautions
    that are being done on farms around the country. Sensible
    precautions that are trying to minimise the risk of our
    valuable and threatened species getting this horrible
    disease."

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