December 1, 2011

Russian veterinary watchdog mulls provisional ban on German beef

The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight of Russia could temporarily ban German cattle and raw beef import due to a strain of catarrhal fever, or bluetongue disease, detected in cattle shipped to an unnamed Russian region in early 2010.

The service could temporarily ban imports of all types of farm animals and meat products, including poultry and poultry products from Germany, the service said.

The recently detected strain could turn out to be a new serotype of the disease, the service also said.