Germany is ‘FMD-free’ again after outbreak in water buffaloes
As of 12 March 2025, Germany has regained its status ‘free of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) without vaccination’ for most of the country, with only a small containment zone in Brandenburg remaining under restrictions.
The status was granted back by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). That decision was based on a request from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) to establish a containment zone around the FMD outbreak in Brandenburg, which WOAH has now approved.
Continued FMD control measures
The containment zone will continue to implement current FMD control measures until at least 11 April 2025. This includes the monitoring of FMD-susceptible animals.
That way, the outbreak remains confined to a single case in water buffalo in Brandenburg, which was officially confirmed on 10 January 2025. According to the BMEL, efforts are underway to regain FMD-free status for the remaining containment zone, which has a radius of 6 km.
Export restrictions
In the leading German agricultural title Top Agrar, Germany’s federal agriculture minister Cem Özdemir commented on the decision: “The regained freedom status sends a clear signal to our trading partners. The official confirmation by the WOAH is a crucial basis for our discussions with third countries and benefits exports.”
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