Geel (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Geel dairy farmer Marcel Helen fears foot-and-mouth disease from Germany could spread, urging caution and biosecurity measures.
Marcel Heylen is a dairy farmer in Geel, Belgium, who is worried about foot-and-mouth disease in Germany. He has been farming since 1984 but has never seen this disease, which spreads quickly among cows, sheep, and pigs. His family has told him how bad it can be, and he thinks it is terrible when animals get sick. Even though he has not seen it, he is anxious about it spreading.
What measures should Belgium take in response to Germany’s Foot-and-Mouth disease Outbreak?
Marcel knows why Belgium has not acted fast about the disease. The outbreak is far away and mostly affects water buffalo. These animals are not common in Belgium. He worries the problem could get worse if sick animals are near other cattle.
There are more dairy cow imports from Germany now. This is because Belgium has fewer dairy cattle due to the bluetongue virus. This virus has caused many livestock deaths. Marcel says it is important not to panic too soon. Still, we must watch the situation closely. He believes we should be careful and take appropriate actions for the real risk.
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious virus that spreads quickly among animals with split hooves. Farmer Marcel Heylen explains that the virus can pass through direct contact with sick animals, their waste, or dirty tools. It can even travel through the air. Marcel recalls the fear during the 2001 outbreak in the United Kingdom.
The disease spread to the Netherlands through livestock transport. Belgium was on high alert because these transports went through Calais and crossed into Belgium. The virus can spread from a small droplet of mucus or a cough.
Impact on dairy cows and biosecurity measures
Foot-and-mouth disease is one of the diseases that causes severe problems in dairy cows. The cows develop painful blisters on their teats, making milking difficult and uncomfortable. They also foam at the mouth, and their hooves become swollen, causing them to limp. This makes it very painful for them to stand or walk. If they don’t get treated, they can suffer a lot and may even die slowly.
According to Farmer Marcel, this is a terrible situation for farmers. They face not only the pain of their animals but also emotional and financial losses. To control an outbreak, farmers often have to cull entire herds, which leads to heartbreaking losses and long-term damage to their farms.
“After an infection, the animals begin to foam at the mouth and the claw edges become inflamed, making it difficult for them to walk and eat”
Dairy farmer Marcel Helen
There is no effective treatment for foot-and-mouth disease right now. Marcel remembers that when he started in 1984, cows were vaccinated against it. But in the early 1990s, they stopped the vaccinations because the disease was not in the country for a long time. Some countries also wanted animals that were not vaccinated for export.
To keep the disease away, Marcel says biosecurity is very important. This means that people who should not be in the barn should not enter. The disease can spread through clothing, so cattle dealers and vets should wear special clothes from their companies to avoid spreading the infection.
