Title: The Concerns of Farmer President Rukwied Amidst the Plague Threat
The ongoing foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Germany is causing manageable issues for the population currently, but farmers' president Joachim Rukwied expresses fears about potential long-term export restrictions, which could lead to substantial damages. His colleague, state farmers' president Henrik Wendorff, is already pushing for swift and straightforward compensation for farmers in restriction zones.
Looking at trade restrictions imposed by countries like the UK and South Korea, Rukwied suggests that the best-case scenario might see the lifting of these restrictions within three months. However, a more realistic scenario could extend the restrictions to six months. The disease has already inflicted significant harm on agriculture and the food industry, and the full extent of this damage remains uncertain.
Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir calls for stringent containment efforts to minimize the impact on agriculture. The EU Commission has permitted regionalization, which means restrictions are limited to the affected area, reducing overall economic disruption. Germany's annual export volume of animal products to the UK alone exceeds 850 million euros, making a six-month export ban economically daunting.
However, there's some relief as trade within the EU for meat products from Germany remains unaffected. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture confirmed the containment zones set up around the outbreak site, making intra-EU trade continuous for non-affected regions. Access to the EU's internal market is essential for livestock operations, noted Rukwied, who also applauded the glimmer of hope this provided.
The outbreak was first detected in a buffalo operation in Brandenburg's Hohenow at the end of the previous week, leading to a temporary transport ban on animals and the establishment of containment zones. The state government extended the ban for another 48 hours to give investigators more time to assess the situation. The ban applies to cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and camelids, potentially leading to storage space shortages if, for example, piglets cannot be sent to fattening farms.
Foot and mouth disease is expected to dominate discussions during Green Week, with around 1,500 exhibitors, 60 countries, and approximately 300,000 visitors attending. Livestock such as cattle, goats, or sheep will not be on display this year due to the disease outbreak.
Other animals, such as camelids, are also affected by the temporary transport ban due to the foot and mouth disease outbreak. Farmer associations have expressed concerns about the impact of long-term export restrictions on other animal product exports aside from those to the UK.
