MOSCOW, August 6 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor has suspended deliveries of livestock and beef from Romania because of a mad cow disease outbreak, the watchdog said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Because of an outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy among livestock in the territory of Romania’s [northwestern city of] Cluj, from August 6, 2014, temporary limitations on the export of cloven-hoofed livestock, meat, meat-bone, and blood meal, bone-on meat, and their byproducts into Russia will be imposed,” Rosselkhoznadzor said.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia also decided to temporarily suspend cattle imports from Romania after an atypical case of mad cow disease was registered by the National Sanitary Veterinary Authority and Food Safety (ANSVSA) Monday.
ANSVSA said the instance of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, is an “isolated case” in Romania with no other classical or atypical forms reported since 1995.
Romania exports up to one million cattle annually, mainly to the Netherlands, Italy and Croatia.
Russia’s latest trade ban, which comes following a new round of Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, follows a move earlier this month to ban all fruits and vegetables imported from Poland. Moscow has cited numerous licensing breaches.
