Foot-and-Mouth Disease Has Hit Slovakia, but Disinformation May Be the Bigger Threat

In Slovakia, the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak has become more than just an agricultural emergency – it’s a political battleground. As PM Fico grapples with the virus, disinformation from within his own party is threatening to unravel the government’s response, eroding trust in institutions just when it’s needed most.

In the unfolding crisis of foot-and-mouth disease in Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government finds itself entangled in a dilemma that eerily mirrors the COVID-19 pandemic – but with a notable twist. While Fico and his party heavily criticised their predecessors for mishandling public communication during the pandemic, it is now Fico’s administration that must face a similar challenge, burdened further by sabotage from within.

It is a bitter paradox: as an opposition leader, Fico urged people to defy the authorities and their anti-pandemic measures, yet now, as prime minister, he is trying to persuade them to do the opposite.