Foot-and-mouth outbreak in Europe could be ‘biological attack’

• Hungary suspects a potential "biological attack" caused the country's first foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in over 50 years.
• The outbreak, initially detected on a northwestern cattle farm, prompted border closures with Austria and Slovakia and mass cattle slaughtering.
• While four farms tested positive, Hungary's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, suggested the virus might be artificially engineered based on information from a foreign lab, though not yet fully confirmed.
• The outbreak impacted Hungary's cattle stock, representing 1.2% of the EU's total, and led to significant losses for farmers like Paul Meixner, who had to cull 3,000 animals.
• Although harmless to humans, the disease affects cloven-hoofed animals and often results in trade restrictions.

IN FULL

‘Biological attack’ could be behind Europe’s latest foot-and-mouth outbreak