Slovakia extends border closure with Hungary due to FMD outbreak

On Wednesday, May 7, the Slovak government extended border controls with Hungary approved at the beginning of April in response to a foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. Under the decision, small border crossings with Hungary will remain closed until the beginning of July. According to the Interior Ministry, the situation does not allow for a relaxation of the measures, given the ongoing spread of the disease across Hungary. The Ministry believes that closing small border crossings contributes to containing the outbreak. The measure has also been confirmed and extended for Austria, although the country has yet to detect a single FMD case. In practice, 17 small border crossings will remain closed till July, 16 with Hungary and 1 with Austria.
FMD cases were detected both in Hungary and Slovakia in March. Since then, the outbreak has involved five cattle farms in Hungary, leading to the slaughter and burial of hundreds of animals. However, no new cases have been reported by Hungarian authorities in the last two weeks. Consequently, Agriculture Minister István Nagy declared that he hopes to declare immunity from the disease at the end of May, an essential step to lift EU restrictions imposed on his country after the start of the outbreak.