Slovakia Becomes Third EU Country Hit by Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

First Outbreak in Half a Century

On March 21, 2025, Slovak authorities confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on farms near the Hungarian border — the first such case since 1973. This made Slovakia the third country in the European Union to be hit by the highly contagious viral disease in 2025, following Germany (January 2025) and Hungary (March 7, 2025).

Virus from Pakistan and Links to Hungary

Laboratory analysis by the World Reference Laboratory for FMD (WRLFMD) confirmed that the causative agent was serotype O, with the closest genetic sequence originating from Pakistan in 2017–2018. The Slovak strain is completely identical to the Hungarian finding, confirming a direct epidemiological link between the two outbreaks through shared animal movements. The German outbreak in January 2025, on the other hand, was caused by a different strain — the two cases are therefore not interconnected.

Affected Areas and Extent of Quarantine

The first outbreaks occurred in southwestern Slovakia: in the villages of Medveďovo, Ňárada, Baka, and Lúč na Ostrove in the districts of Dunajská Streda and Komárno. A fifth case was confirmed on March 30, 2025, in Plavecký Štvrtok near Malacky — one of the largest cattle farms in Slovakia, with a daily production of approximately 95,000 liters of milk. On this farm alone, more than 3,500 head of cattle had to be culled. The sixth outbreak occurred about 70 kilometers from the other cases.

The Slovak Ministry of Agriculture introduced extraordinary emergency measures, including protection zones with a radius of 3 km and surveillance zones with a radius of 10 km. The movement of livestock was strictly restricted throughout southwestern Slovakia. All livestock operations were required to register in a central registry by April 9, 2025.

EU Response and Trade Restrictions

The European Commission adopted implementing decisions defining regionalization at the EU level, and the EU Veterinary Emergency Team was dispatched to Slovakia on March 21, 2025. At least 16 countries worldwide introduced import bans on livestock and untreated animal products from the affected areas. The Czech Republic tightened controls at the border, as the outbreak near Malacky was located less than 50 kilometers from Czech territory.

Impact on the Agricultural Sector

Foot-and-mouth disease is extremely dangerous for cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and wild boar. Although the disease is not transmissible to humans, its economic consequences are devastating — animal losses, export bans, and disruption of supply chains have affected dozens of Slovak farmers. The government promised compensation, with payments to small farmers to be made within a week, but large businesses waited longer for settlement.

Epilogue: Slovakia Again Free of Infection

Thanks to decisive veterinary measures, Slovakia regained its status as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease, effective October 31, 2025, paving the way for the resumption of trade relations. However, the 2025 epidemic showed that viral threats to European agriculture are real and require constant cross-border veterinary cooperation.