The Agriculture Ministry agreed on Monday to partially ease movement restrictions for animals in quarantine zones established to combat a new strain of foot-and-mouth disease that is sweeping the country.

The new guidelines followed pressure from farmers opposed to the blanket prohibition on moving animals within a 10-kilometer (six-mile) radius of an outbreak, which they said was causing overcrowding that harms animal welfare and financial losses of up to NIS 830,000 ($285,000) per farm.

The virus has already affected nearly 120 farms and spread rapidly to wildlife, with dead gazelles found in the Tavor Stream and Golan Heights in the north. In response, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority closed wildlife breeding sites in the northern Carmel and southern Yotvata on Friday as a precaution.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral infection that affects cloven-hoofed animals. While the disease is endemic to the region, this year’s strain — SAT1 (South African Territories type 1) — is entirely new to Israel, likely having entered via Lebanon after spreading to the Middle East from Africa. Routine vaccinations did not previously include the SAT1 variant.

The virus causes high fever and painful blisters on the mouth, tongue, muzzle, hooves, and teats. It leads to a sharp drop in milk production. The disease does not affect humans.

The quarantine process, still in place, is rigorous. A closure is imposed when a proven outbreak occurs. The disease lasts two to three weeks. Once symptoms vanish, a one-month countdown begins for all farms within ten kilometers. The original outbreak farm must remain closed for an additional month. Any........

© The Times of Israel