Germany Faces First Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak Since 1988 in Brandenburg

Highly contagious virus detected in water buffalo herd near Berlin prompts widespread containment measures and animal culling.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed in a water buffalo herd in Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg, marking Germany's first outbreak in decades.
Authorities have established a 3-kilometer quarantine zone and a 10-kilometer surveillance area around the affected farm to prevent further spread.
Over 200 animals, including water buffalo, pigs, goats, and cattle, have been culled as a precautionary measure in Brandenburg's containment efforts.
Berlin's Tierpark and Zoo have temporarily closed, and the Green Week agriculture fair has removed cloven-hoofed animals from its program to minimize risks.
Federal and state officials, including Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, are coordinating investigations into the virus's origin and implementing strict transport bans for livestock.