Fico: Foot-and-Mouth Disease Endangers Slovak National Interests in Agriculture

Bratislava, March 23 (TASR) - The foot-and-mouth disease is not a trite affair, as it endangers Slovak national interests in the agriculture and food industry, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) claimed in his social media post on Sunday. Fico declared that the Government pays maximum attention to the problem and announced he will attend, together with other ministers, a session of the crisis team to be convened by Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) later on Sunday. "We're prepared for even more serious scenarios than the one we face today, which is why we don't underestimate any aspect of this contagion. At the same time, we're already seeking financial resources, even at the international level, that we could provide to farmers affected, so as to help them replace their livestock losses," said Fico. Fico praised Takac's commitment and determination to address the crisis and welcomed the fact that both new Governments members - Tourism Minister Rudolf Huliak and Investment Minister Samuel Migal (both independents) - took an active part in the fight against the foot-and-mouth disease. The presence of the foot-and-mouth disease, a highly-contagious viral illness of farm animals, has been confirmed in three southern Slovak village farms - in Medvedov, Narad and Baka. The district of Dunajska Streda declared a state of emergency. mf