Rome: Farmers in Hungary check their cattle, spotting blisters on hooves and mouths, signs of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) sweeping through herds. The outbreak, confirmed in February 2025, marks Europe’s worst FMD crisis since the start of the century, per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In the Near East, farmers in Iraq and Bahrain face an exotic virus strain, serotype SAT1, undetected in the region until recently. These outbreaks, reported on May 5, 2025, by FAO, threaten livestock, livelihoods, and food security, highlighting the urgent need for early detection and enhanced biosecurity measures to minimise impacts.
Foot-and-mouth disease, a highly contagious viral disease, affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and various wild species. It brings fever and blisters in the mouth and on the feet, accompanied by lameness, with young animals at risk of sudden heart failure, per FAO records. The virus spreads rapidly, especially in regions like Europe, usually free of the disease, or those not regularly vaccinating. While not a public health threat, FMD severely impacts animal health and welfare, food security, and livelihoods by reducing livestock productivity, including through lower milk and meat yields.
Europe’s crisis started in Germany in January 2025, now resolved, followed by Hungary in February, spreading to Slovakia, per the FAO. These incidents, the worst since 2001, led to trade bans, with the United Kingdom government banning the import of meat or dairy products from European countries where the virus has been detected, as well as Austria, due to an outbreak in neighbouring Hungary. In the Near East, where FMD is endemic, a recent upsurge driven by SAT1—likely from East Africa—has hit Bahrain, Iraq, and Kuwait, with other countries in the Near East and West Eurasia regions at a high risk, per FAO’s alert.
The economic burden is substantial. Globally, foot-and-mouth disease causes global direct production losses and vaccination costs in endemic regions estimated to be USD 21 billion annually, per FAO, with the true economic burden likely much higher when factoring in disruptions to both international and local trade. Farmers in affected regions face reduced yields, hitting local markets, while international bans impact exporters. The outbreaks have a devastating effect on rural communities and businesses that depend on livestock, threatening food security and income for those reliant on animals.
In the Near East, farmers noticed livestock weakening in early 2025, with veterinary tests confirming SAT1, per FAO reports. This serotype is exotic to the Near East and West Eurasia regions, raising concerns about potential spread, as existing vaccines may not match the strain. FAO recommends urgent biosecurity measures and enhanced surveillance to curb the virus, emphasising the ongoing risk this disease poses to livelihoods, food security, and safe trade across regions.
Many strains of the foot-and-mouth disease virus circulate globally, and these outbreaks highlight the persistent threat to farmers. In Europe, normally FMD-free, the virus’s return points to gaps in preparedness, while the Near East’s exotic strain underscores cross-border risks. FAO’s global monitoring of FMD viruses plays a key role, helping control them where endemic and rapidly sharing risk information to protect countries usually free of the disease, per its Emergency Prevention System for Animal Health.
Awareness is critical for response. FAO urges campaigns to advise farmers and communities of the increased threat of foot-and-mouth disease and the measures they can take to protect their livestock. In Hungary, farmers, after losing their herds, now isolate sick animals for veterinary checks. In the Near East, farmers in Bahrain and Iraq monitor livestock closely, guided by local outreach, to limit losses. These actions aim to empower communities to safeguard their animals and incomes.
Biosecurity is the primary means of preventing and controlling foot-and-mouth disease. FAO advises separating sick animals from other livestock and having them examined by an animal health professional, avoiding the introduction of animals from unknown sources, and preventing mixing different livestock consignments during transport and at markets. Markets, vehicles, and transport hubs must be thoroughly cleaned and emptied between sales, with rest days, while preventing people, vehicles, and other materials potentially contaminated with the virus from moving farm-to-farm. In Hungary, such measures have slowed the spread, though Slovakia’s cases show enforcement gaps.
Vaccination, when paired with rigorous surveillance and biosecurity, is a highly effective tool for controlling foot-and-mouth disease, but vaccines must be well-matched to the field strains and administered according to the manufacturer’s specifications, per FAO. In the Near East, SAT1’s novelty complicates vaccination, requiring rapid strain analysis. FAO, through the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD), facilitates vaccine procurement and distribution to ensure affected regions access matched doses.
Contingency planning is essential. FAO urges countries to verify that an FMD contingency plan exists, with standard operating procedures for surveillance, outbreak investigation, and vaccination. Hungary’s plan, activated in February, limited the spread, but Slovakia’s delayed response allowed cases to multiply. In the Near East, Bahrain and Iraq are updating plans to address SAT1, with FAO providing technical assistance and resource mobilisation.
FAO’s Emergency Prevention System for Animal Health supports these efforts, guiding endemic countries through the Progressive Control Pathway for FMD (PCP-FMD), a stepwise approach for reducing risks through surveillance, prevention, and control. The Global FMD Control Strategy, developed with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) under the Global Framework for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs), strengthens these efforts. EuFMD offers country-specific support through training and capacity-building programmes, tracks global FMD risks, and develops tools to enhance preparedness and control. During outbreaks, FAO provides emergency response support, including technical assistance and resources for affected countries.
The outbreaks test rural resilience. In Hungary, farmers face debt from lost livestock, with markets disrupted by trade bans. In the Near East, families in Iraq and Bahrain struggle to afford feed as yields drop, risking hunger. These impacts threaten food security, with communities vulnerable as animals dwindle. FAO’s measures aim to protect farmers, but success requires coordinated action across regions.
Countries must maintain vigilance against the ongoing threat. FAO stated that its call for awareness campaigns, biosecurity, vaccination, and contingency plans can reduce the spread and impact of outbreaks. Without these, the USD 21 billion annual loss could climb, hitting rural economies hardest. The threat to wild species, like deer in Europe’s forests, adds ecological risks, as outbreaks could disrupt ecosystems. As FAO tracks FMD’s global spread, its recommendations offer a path to protect livestock, food security, and rural communities, ensuring farmers can recover without facing ruin.
– global bihari bureau
