German farmers affected by a recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease are eligible to receive financial aid from the European Union, the German Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday.

Germany saw its first outbreak of FDM in over 35 years when it was discovered in a herd of buffalo in the eastern state of Brandenburg, outside Berlin, in January.

The European Commission subsequently ordered a six-kilometre exclusion zone around the site of the outbreak, restricting the transport of animals from the area.

Meanwhile, several countries announced bans on imports of German agricultural products.

However, all tests for FMD in domestic and wild animals in the affected region have since been negative, enabling all trade restrictions to be lifted.

On April 15, the country was officially declared free of the disease.

To help them deal with the fallout, all dairy and pig farmers within the exclusion zone are eligible for EU aid, according to the ministry.

Affected farmers can now breathe a sigh of relief, said acting Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, who added that the payments were “important for them to be able to carry on”.

He said his goal had always been preventing farmers from giving up due to the outbreak.

The state of Brandenburg estimates the outbreak caused some €8 million ($9.1 million) in damages, with farmers forced to kill numerous animals.

The European Commission is currently preparing guidelines to determine the exact amounts to be paid out, the ministry said.

(dpa/NAN)