The United Kingdom has banned the import of cattle, pigs and sheep from Germany to prevent cases of foot and mouth disease.
The move comes after the U.K. government announced a £200 million (A$394.1 million) investment into their main research and laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to increase protection against animal diseases.
According to a statement from the U.K. government, there were no known cases of the disease in the U.K.
While rarely affecting humans, foot and mouth is highly contagious among pigs, sheep and cattle.
From 2001 to 2007, millions of livestock were slaughtered due to major outbreaks of the disease. The 2001 epidemic led to around £5 billion in costs to wider industry and society.
This comes after Germany confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease in cattle.
“We remain in constant contact with German counterparts to understand the latest situation following their confirmation of a single case of Foot and Mouth disease,” UK chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss said.
U.K. farming minister, Daniel Zeicher said they are prepared to do whatever it takes to protect farmers from foot and mouth disease.
“That is why restrictions have immediately been brought in on animal products from Germany to prevent an outbreak and we will not hesitate to add additional countries to the list if the disease spreads,” he said.
The move could cause major economic loss for Germany as the U.K. imported 117,340 metric tons of pig meat worth £448 million from Germany between January and October 2024.