January 19, 2012

Russia restricts German, Dutch, Belgian small cattle imports

A temporary restriction on small cattle imports from Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium due to animal disease outbreaks in the countries has been imposed by Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight (Rosselkhoznadzor), the service said on Wednesday (Jan 18).

The International Office of Epizootics has registered cattle die-off with feverish symptoms on the farms of Germany, Holland, Belgium. Germany's Friedrich Loeffler Epidemic Institute has revealed the possible pathogenic agent, a Schmallenberg virus, which may cause birth defects of calves and lambs.

"Before the situation is clarified, from January 17, 2012, Rosselkhoznadzor found it necessary to introduce temporary restrictions on the supply of live small cattle, meat, meat by-products, semen and embryos of sheep and goats from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium to Russia," the service said in a statement.

Russia's National Meat Association CEO Sergei Yushin said the ban is unlikely to impact the country's meat market because the imports from the three states were insignificant.