Previous major outbreaks had massive consequences
Livestock farmers know all too well how great the impact of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) can be. “I remember 1988 clearly,” says Baltus. That year, North Holland was hit by a major foot and mouth epidemic.
In the region around Lambertschaag there was a constant threat of forced culling of livestock. For many farmers who consciously lived through that time, it was a traumatic experience. “I recently spoke to a farmer about the outbreak in Germany, and he became emotional. He immediately thought back to ’88.”
“In stables you sometimes have cows that your grandfather once started with. There is a very strong emotional bond with your animals,” Brouwer de Koning explains. “If you then have to clear it, it is quite intense.”
The last major FMD epidemic in the Netherlands was in 2001. Muiden livestock farmer Frans-Jan ter Beek still remembers it like it was yesterday. “That was the first year that I was a farmer. It was very exciting then,” he says. “I hope we don’t go back to that.” He is therefore also keeping a close eye on the outbreak, but also says that there is no panic.
Precautions for new outbreak
Since the infections in Germany, the Ministry of LVVN (Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature) has taken some precautions. For example, a removal ban has been imposed on veal calves. This ban applies until the NVWA has investigated all companies with so-called ‘risk animals’. There is also a ban on visitors to veal calf farms to prevent infections in the Netherlands.
These measures are desperately needed, North Holland farmers also know. “In peacetime you have to prepare for war,” says Brouwer de Koning. “It can spread so quickly and you are actually powerless.”
For example, it is possible that all livestock on a farm must be completely culled if foot and mouth disease is detected there.