German farmers are fearing the potentially devastating financial impact after the first case of foot-and-mouth disease in the country in nearly four decades was detected.

The case was identified last Friday on a farm near Berlin, according to Politico.

After the disease was confirmed in water buffaloes, local authorities swiftly imposed a ban on the transport of animals in the Brandenburg region, ordering the culling of the entire herd and 200 pigs from a nearby farm.

The disease, which spreads easily among animals but does not affect humans, places a heavy burden on agriculture. While the mortality rate is less than 5% in adult animals, entire herds are often culled to contain outbreaks.

The 2001 outbreak in the UK led to an agricultural and tourism crisis, costing over 15 billion euros. Authorities were forced to cull more than 6 million animals to eradicate the disease.

The most recent case of foot-and-mouth disease in the EU was recorded in 2011 in wild boars in Bulgaria.

In 2024, Germany’s meat exports reached nearly 5 billion euros, but the Federal Ministry of Agriculture stated that it is too early to assess the full economic damage.