Closures may impact the annual open day for farms.

Farms have also already implemented several biosecurity measures on food, the movement of livestock, and employee hygiene.

The Andri-Peedo goat farm in Misso, Võru County, and right on the Estonian-Latvian border, posted clear signs this week barring visits to the farm due to the disease threat.

Farm owner Kermo Rannamäe said: "So far, we've had to cancel three excursions, for example. We just put a sign on the door saying the farm is now closed and we can't allow people onto the premises. The shop is also closed. Of course, we don't yet know what will happen with things like the Open Farms Day."

The Andri-Peedo is the largest of its kind in the Baltic states and regularly showcases its activity to the public.

"Production as such continues, our products are available in stores. The only thing is that everything we have been doing here where we have shown and presented to the public — that aspect will now be gone. In short, it is set to be a pretty dull summer. This is also a major setback in terms of revenue, as the direct sales in our farm shop, the tours; people come, they buy," Rannamäe went on.

Nopri farm has also closed its doors to visitors.

Tiit Niilo, farm owner, said: "The appeal of agri-tourism — showing consumers the journey of their food from field to plate — is a small thing compared to the risk and fear a potential pandemic brings. Since we've lived through Covid globally, and [know] how fast and uncontrollably things can happen, even ordinary people can understand and perceive the risk."

According to Niilo, the loss of visitors has little impact on Nopri's business, however. "It's a very small thing compared to all the possible trouble this could bring. I'm not worried about it at all," he said.

Nopri is also one of many farms that have opted not to take part in this year's Open Farms Day.

The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture has said the Open Farms Day is definitely still set to go ahead, but whether livestock like cows, goats, and sheep will be on show remains to be seen.

Regional and Agricultural Minister Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200) said: "The national laboratory and risk assessment center LABRIS is preparing a risk analysis specifically in the context of Open Farms Day, and we'll base decisions on those results."

"There remains a chance that farms hosting cloven-hoofed livestock will not be taking part in this year's event. But as we saw last time, there were 260 farms without such livestock, so those activities can still continue," Terras went on.

The recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has mostly hit Hungary and Slovakia. Austria has closed off border checkpoints with Hungary in an effort to curb the spread of the disease.

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