Thousands of farm animals are being buried near Hungary’s border with Austria following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the town of Levél.
In Győr-Moson-Sopron county, northern Hungary, trucks are transporting the remains of over 3,000 animals to a designated state-owned burial site between Csemeztanya and Irénpuszta. The mass culling was ordered after several cattle tested positive for the highly contagious disease, despite most of the herd remaining healthy. Police are closely monitoring the area, ensuring only authorized personnel, including veterinarians and workers, can access the premises.
Authorities initiated the slaughter to prevent further spread of the disease, a process expected to take up to ten days. The burial procedure includes covering the carcasses with lime, straw, and a two-meter layer of soil.
The burial site, located in Csemeztanya, part of Hegyeshalom village, has raised environmental concerns among residents. “We have our own wells, our own drilled wells, they bury the animals close enough. We are afraid of contaminating our drinking water. It’s good that they promised us that there would be a water network, but we don’t want something to happen first,” says Mihály Bakos, a longtime local resident.
Paul Meixner, the Austrian-born Hungarian owner of the Western Gate Co-operative, has been raising livestock in Levél for 30 years. His entire farm is now at risk, as all his cattle must be slaughtered, even though only 5% were infected. “It’s an EU veterinary regulation, every member state has to work according to it. The infected herd has to be destroyed, precisely described, because if it goes on it could infect the whole country. That’s why it has to be localized,” Meixner explained to Euronews.
The mass culling is taking an emotional toll on farmers, as they witness healthy animals being put down. “The animal is driven into a corridor, enters a pen and is shot in the head by the butcher. The dead animal is then loaded onto a truck and transported in a closed truck.” All vehicles involved in the process are disinfected upon arrival and departure.
Meanwhile, another foot-and-mouth outbreak has been reported in Slovakia, prompting authorities to require trucks to pass through disinfectant stations at the border crossing in Rijeka.
The economic impact of the outbreak is severe. The Levél farm alone faces estimated losses of €3.7 million due to the complete culling of its cattle. The farm also supplied tens of thousands of liters of milk daily, making the loss even more significant. While the government has pledged compensation, the exact amount remains uncertain.
