News Meat
Foot and mouth disease hinders German meat export
The outbreak of FMD in a herd of water buffaloes in the German state of Brandenburg has major consequences for the German meat export. It hinders the sales to third markets outside Europe, as market leader Tönnies reports.
The Friedrich Loeffler Institute earlier today reported an outbreak of the contagious animal disease on a farm near Berlin. The animals were culled as a precaution. This marks the return of the virus to Germany since 1988. Besides cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and deer are also susceptible to the virus.
Export Impediments
The exact consequences are not yet clear at this moment. However, Tönnies, the largest meat company in Germany, states that the export of pork and beef to third countries will be impeded by the outbreak. This specifically refers to major markets such as South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines, where a lot of slaughter by-products are exported. Additionally, it is likely to complicate the reopening of the Chinese market for German pork, which has been closed since the outbreak of African swine fever in Germany in 2020. The impact of the FMD outbreak on the company and the German meat industry is significant, according to the food company.
It is not yet known to what extent, for example, German dairy exporters will be impeded by protocols that are likely to be triggered by the FMD outbreak.
