Austria to shut border crossings to Hungary, Slovakia over foot and mouth

Slovakia declares an emergency situation after the disease is found on three farms

Sheep make their way down to "Rofenberg" pasture in the region of Tyrol, Austria, Jun 9, 2018. Picture taken Jun 9, 2018. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Austria will close two smaller crossings at its border with Slovakia and 21 at its border with Hungary from Saturday, in a bid to prevent foot-and-mouth disease from entering the country, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

The first outbreak of the highly infectious disease in 50 years in Hungary led the country on Wednesday to deploy soldiers and launch disinfection measures to contain it in an area bordering Slovakia and Austria.

The disease, which poses no danger to humans, mostly affects cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals like swine, sheep and goats, causing fever and mouth blisters. Outbreaks often lead to trade restrictions and culls of some livestock.

Slovakia declared an emergency situation on Tuesday after the disease was found on three farms.

To strengthen efforts aimed at preventing the disease from reaching Austria, the country will focus its police resources at those borders on its main crossings, the ministry said in a statement.

"So as not to undermine these police checks, we ask you to understand that we cannot provide further details, particularly the times, staffing levels, form of checks etc at the various locations," the ministry said.