The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have issued an information note of the foot and mouth disease outbreak confirmed in Germany. The note can be found here. Background Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) was confirmed in a herd of water buffalo in the state of Brandenburg in Germany on 10th January 2025. FMD is one of the most contagious diseases that affects livestock, caused by the Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) FMDV affects several species of animal inc. cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, deer, and other cloven-hoofed animals (i.e., animals with a divided hoof) The virus can be spread by: Direct contact between infected and susceptible animals Indirect contact between animals e.g., a contaminated person or vehicle moving between farms, sharing of equipment between farms, feeding of contaminated animal products to animals Airborne spread i.e., when infected animals (especially pigs) exhale significant amount of virus in []