The UK farming industry has expressed concern following confirmation of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in water buffalo in Germany.
The country's first case of foot-and-mouth disease in 35 years was detected in a herd of water buffalo in Hönow, near Berlin.
A 72-hour animal transport ban has been enacted for the state of Brandenburg, covering cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock.
A cull has also been ordered for 200 pigs at a farm near where the outbreak was detected, as a precautionary measure.
Following confirmation of the outbreak, the NFU said the UK government must secure the borders to avoid importing the disease.
The union's president, Tom Bradshaw said: “The confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany is very worrying news for all livestock keepers across the EU.
“We welcome the swift action taken in reporting the disease so that we can minimise the risk to all livestock keepers.
"It is now paramount that we make sure our borders are secure so that we don’t risk importing the disease into the UK.”
Foot-and-mouth is a highly contagious viral disease affecting livestock, with significant economic impact.
The disease is rarely fatal in adult animals but mortality rates are high in young animals, and in susceptible populations morbidity approaches 100%.
Those animals that recover are usually weakened and debilitated.
The 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak saw around 2,000 cases of the disease in farms across the UK.
In a statement, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) acknowledged Germany’s rapid official notification of the outbreak.
"While the FMD virus is not considered a public health problem, it’s crucial for animal health due to its easy transmission and the significant economic impact it can have," it said.
"Germany has already been putting containment measures in place. Early detection and rapid response are critical to contain any outbreak.
"WOAH is fully committed to supporting its members to prevent and rapidly respond to the risk associated with FMD along with its partners and network of reference laboratories."
