Czech Republic to Lift Remaining Measures against Foot-and-mouth as of Friday

Prague, 5 June (TASR-correspondent) - As of Friday, the Czech Republic will lift the remaining special veterinary measures aimed against the spread of foot-and-mouth disease from Slovakia and Hungary, TASR learnt on Thursday. Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny wrote on X that timely and coordinated action has succeeded in protecting the Czech Republic from the disease entering the country. According to the Czech State Veterinary Administration (SVS), the situation concerning the disease is developing favourably, and no new case has been confirmed in countries near the Czech Republic since mid-April. "Therefore, it will no longer be necessary to keep records of vehicles and people entering farms or to require confirmation that vehicles have been disinfected. Nevertheless, SVS recommends that farmers should continue to observe biosecurity measures at a high level," said SVS spokesman Petr Vorlicek. Preventive testing of milk and game for the presence of the virus will continue in border regions. "We've shown that we can stick together in crises, and we've managed to protect our livestock and agriculture. The situation is favourable, but we'll nevertheless continue to test milk and monitor wildlife as a precaution. I'm still asking farmers to be very careful," said Vyborny. am/df