EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen called for caution on Thursday after a second suspected outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in livestock was reported in eastern Germany. A first outbreak at a water buffalo farm near Berlin last week has led to widespread culling and some trade restrictions.

Germany has not found any further cases of foot-and-mouth disease, agriculture minister Cem Oezdemir said on Wednesday, adding that experts were working day and night to establish the source of the country's first outbreak in decades.

Germany’s agriculture ministry said on Wednesday it expects meat and dairy product exports to the European Union to continue despite a case of the foot-and-mouth disease affecting livestock being confirmed last week.

Britain on Tuesday banned imports of hams as well as many other meat and dairy products from Germany to try to prevent foot-and-mouth disease spreading to Britain after a case was confirmed on the outskirts of Berlin last week.