More than 2000 cows are to be slaughtered on a farm in northern Hungary, where some animals have been infected with foot-and-mouth disease.
Due to the outbreak, which affects pigs, cattle, sheep and goats, Hungarian authorities have created a two-tiered safety zone around the farm, where strict restrictions have been imposed and livestock control is recommended.
It is reported that the outbreak is the second in the country this month, with 1600 animals slaughtered in Kisbajcs a few weeks ago.
Central Europe has been free of the disease for more than 50 years, but it resurfaced in January in the Brandenburg region of Germany, writes € news, the Telegraph reports.
New cases have since emerged in Hungary and Slovakia, with four epicenters in southern Slovakia and two in Hungary.
Both countries implemented a series of measures to curb the spread of the disease: a three-kilometer protective zone around the centers of the epidemic and a 10-kilometer surveillance zone where the health of livestock is monitored.
The movement of animals has also been banned and Hungarian authorities have banned hunting in the Gyor-Moson county.
Slovakia has closed small border crossings and installed disinfection gates at larger ones.
It is reported that slaughtering infected livestock and how to dispose of potentially infectious carcasses also poses a challenge for authorities. /Telegraph/