Vyborny to Ask Takac to Start Testing Milk for Foot-and-mouth Disease

Prague, April 2 (TASR) - Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny plans to ask Slovak Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) on Wednesday to start testing milk for the presence of foot-and-mouth disease virus, as PCR tests can detect the infection three to five days earlier than symptoms appear in animals, TASR learnt from its special correspondent in Prague on Wednesday. The Czech Republic began preventive testing on farms in the South Moravian region, which borders Slovakia, on Tuesday. Vyborny stated that all the milk tests from farms in the South Moravian region have been negative. He also stated that in the districts which border Slovakia, this measure applies not only to large farms, as in the rest of the region, but also to small farms. The Czech minister would like Slovakia to start testing milk for the presence of the foot-and-mouth disease virus as well. "After the press conference, I will send a message to Slovak Agriculture Minister Takac, asking if Slovakia would consider testing milk using PCR tests in a similar way, as this is a measure that could help Slovakia detect potential new outbreaks of the disease quicker," the Czech minister explained. lin