Takac: No Other Farms Confirmed with Foot-and-mouth Disease

        Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - No additional farms in Slovakia have been confirmed with foot-and-mouth disease, and the government has taken measures against this disease in a timely and swift manner, said Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) at a press conference on Friday, partly in response to opposition criticism that the government has been late in coming up with measures.
        "Slovakia has done what it should have done and on time. We have to keep at it so that we can manage this situation," said Takac.
        Takac pointed out that cattle, goats, sheep and pigs within a three-kilometre radius must be culled in the event of confirmed outbreaks, including in domestic breeding, in which the potential for the virus to spread is very high. He stated that the Agriculture Ministry will also help people who breed these animals illegally, stating that about 30 percent of farms in Slovakia engage in illegal activities. He also told people in southern Slovakia who live near farms affected by foot-and-mouth disease not to worry that the disease could be contracted via groundwater, as thorough disinfection is being carried out everywhere.
        The presence of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed at livestock farms in four villages in southern Slovakia - Medvedov, Narad, Baka and Luc na Ostrove. The disease probably reached Slovakia from Hungary. It is a serious, highly contagious and febrile viral disease among livestock with significant economic impacts. The government has declared a state of emergency covering the entire territory of Slovakia in response to the disease.