Russia prohibits meat imports from the EU
Russia’s food safety authority has banned meat imports from the European Union following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Germany, Russia's food safety watchdog has implemented a ban on meat imports from the EU. The announcement, made on Friday, states that starting January 20, imports and the transit of these products through Russian territory to third countries will be completely prohibited.
This embargo follows Germany's report of its first FMD outbreak in nearly four decades, which was identified in a herd of water buffalo in the Brandenburg region near Berlin. In response, German authorities have established a 3km exclusion zone and a 10km monitoring zone.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease affecting various livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. Animals infected typically exhibit symptoms such as fever, sores, and blisters, along with a reluctance to move or eat, often leading to their slaughter to control the outbreak.
The situation has led several countries, including Australia, Argentina, South Korea, the UK, Canada, and Mexico, to impose import bans on German meat. Additionally, within the EU, countries such as Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland have tightened their border controls.
Despite these actions, Rosselkhoznadzor has expressed concerns that the measures implemented by the European Commission to curb the disease's spread are "insufficient." The agency noted that one contributing factor to the outbreak's emergence in Germany was the "uncontrolled" movement of cattle and livestock products through Ukraine into the EU.
According to Rosselkhoznadzor, the likely route of transmission is Türkiye-Ukraine-Poland-Germany. Findings from the National Reference Laboratory and the EU Reference Laboratory have confirmed that the virus is of the FMD disease serotype O, closely linked to a strain found in Türkiye in December 2024.
"This is extremely concerning given the virtual absence of a veterinary service on the territory of Ukraine," Rosselkhoznadzor pointed out. The agency also referenced earlier reports from European and Ukrainian media about fraudulent schemes related to the smuggling of various goods, including agricultural products, in the port of Odessa.
German livestock farmers are worried about the potential severe economic impact resulting from the FMD outbreak. The country’s farming cooperatives association indicated that the farming and food industry could see losses amounting to around €1 billion as a consequence of this incident.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
This embargo follows Germany's report of its first FMD outbreak in nearly four decades, which was identified in a herd of water buffalo in the Brandenburg region near Berlin. In response, German authorities have established a 3km exclusion zone and a 10km monitoring zone.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease affecting various livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. Animals infected typically exhibit symptoms such as fever, sores, and blisters, along with a reluctance to move or eat, often leading to their slaughter to control the outbreak.
The situation has led several countries, including Australia, Argentina, South Korea, the UK, Canada, and Mexico, to impose import bans on German meat. Additionally, within the EU, countries such as Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland have tightened their border controls.
Despite these actions, Rosselkhoznadzor has expressed concerns that the measures implemented by the European Commission to curb the disease's spread are "insufficient." The agency noted that one contributing factor to the outbreak's emergence in Germany was the "uncontrolled" movement of cattle and livestock products through Ukraine into the EU.
According to Rosselkhoznadzor, the likely route of transmission is Türkiye-Ukraine-Poland-Germany. Findings from the National Reference Laboratory and the EU Reference Laboratory have confirmed that the virus is of the FMD disease serotype O, closely linked to a strain found in Türkiye in December 2024.
"This is extremely concerning given the virtual absence of a veterinary service on the territory of Ukraine," Rosselkhoznadzor pointed out. The agency also referenced earlier reports from European and Ukrainian media about fraudulent schemes related to the smuggling of various goods, including agricultural products, in the port of Odessa.
German livestock farmers are worried about the potential severe economic impact resulting from the FMD outbreak. The country’s farming cooperatives association indicated that the farming and food industry could see losses amounting to around €1 billion as a consequence of this incident.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
