Regional Quarantine for Foot-and-Mouth Disease to Be Lifted

The ministry said the necessary veterinary health measures would continue in a controlled manner to guard against the risk of disease, while animal movements would remain subject to the control and approval of the Veterinary Department.

According to a statement by the ministry, vaccination, surveillance, laboratory testing and field inspections carried out as part of efforts to combat the disease detected in December 2025 had been assessed. In light of the current epidemiological situation and risk assessments, a decision was made to lift the regional quarantine.

The statement stressed that lifting the quarantine did not mean that animal movements would be completely unrestricted. Shipments between farms, within regions and to slaughterhouses will remain subject to approval by the Veterinary Department.

The ministry also stressed that animals would not be allowed to be moved from farms that fail to meet veterinary health requirements, adding that inspections and penalties for unauthorised animal movements would continue to be enforced.

VACCINATION AND SURVEILLANCE TO CONTINUE

The ministry said vaccination, blood sampling, laboratory testing and surveillance of cattle and small ruminants would continue.

Depending on the results, farms meeting the required health conditions will gradually and under controlled conditions be allowed to move animals, the statement said.

The ministry also noted that the epidemiological situation would continue to be monitored and that additional restrictions could be introduced if the data warranted them.

To protect the gains achieved in the fight against the disease, the ministry called on producers to comply with the Veterinary Department’s permission procedures before moving animals.