Foot and Mouth Disease: Army Sanitizes Trucks at Slovenian Border

The Italian Army is actively engaged in containing the spread of thefoot-and-mouth disease, a dangerous, highly contagious viral disease that has affected ungulates in several areas of Eastern Europe. Following the identification of recent outbreaks in Hungary and Slovakia, the Italian authorities have activated a series of extraordinary measures to prevent the virus from entering the national territory.

By order of the Ministry of Defence, i Army disinfection units, coordinated by the Northern Operations Forces Command, Padua, have been operational for two days in international border crossings with Slovenia, in particular to St. Andrew (Gorizia) e Fernetti (Monrupino). Here, operations are carried out Sanitization and control of trucks transporting sheep and pigs entering Italy.

Continuous presence at border crossings

The activities take place 24 hours a day, with a constant presence of the military, who operate using specialized vehicles and dedicated equipmentThe interventions are part of a plan defined according to the Ministry of Health protocols, in collaboration with the health and veterinary authorities, in addition to customs services.

The primary objective is interrupt any possibility of transmission of the virus through the transport of animals, considered one of the main vectors. Each vehicle is identified, checked and sanitized before entering national territory.

A concrete threat to Italy

The activation of extraordinary measures is part of an increasingly critical European context. After a first confirmed outbreak in Germany last January, Hungary also reported new cases of foot-and-mouth disease in March. In particular, theIZS Lombardy and Emilia Romagna has reported an outbreak identified near Gyor, near the Slovakian border, in a dairy cow farmingInfected cattle show typical symptoms of the disease, and the presence of the virus has been confirmed by local laboratories.

Already in January, theWorld Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) they had reported an outbreak in a buffalo farm in Land of Brandenburg, the first case in Germany since 1988 and the first in Europe since 2011 (the year in which the last outbreak was recorded in Bulgaria).

L'foot-and-mouth disease strikes cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and other ungulates, both domestic and wild, causing painful blisters in the mouth, on the feet and on the breast, with serious damage to animal health and strong repercussions on the economic and production level. Although it does not constitute a direct danger to humans, its very high contagiousness imposes strict containment measures.

The role of the Army in a delicate European context

The Army's intervention is part of a broader strategy of biosecurity and prevention, implemented in synergy with border veterinary services, civil protection and health institutions. Checks at border crossings represent the first line of defense for prevent the virus from entering the Italian agri-food supply chain, protecting a sector already severely tested by other health emergencies and market instability.

The rapid activation of the disinfection nuclei by the Operational Forces Command North testifies to the operational readiness of the Armed Forces, capable of intervening in complex scenarios even outside the strictly military sphere.

A situation to monitor carefully

With eleven confirmed outbreaks in Europe in the space of a few months – one in Germany, four in Hungary and six in Slovenia – the situation requires intensive action monitoring and a tight fit international collaboration among the health authorities of the European Union countries. Italy, by virtue of its strategic geographical position and the significant volume of livestock trade, has already activated Strengthened controls to prevent the virus from entering their territory.

The livestock sector, considered particularly exposed, would risk serious consequences in case of further spread of the viruswith significant impacts on production, on the exports and on the whole balance of the agricultural economy at European level.

Source: https://www.ansa.it/veneto/notizie/2025/04/15/esercito-contrasta-la-diffusione-dellafta-epizootica_d8671178-2f21-4398-920f-12e5593e4abe.html