Russia bans Dutch meat imports over virus scare

Russia has imposed a ban on imports of sheep and goat meat and live animals from the Netherlands, following an outbreak of the Schmallenberg virus in December 2011.

The Dutch Economics and Agriculture Ministry has been vocal against the imposition of the ban, even though it will not have a significant impact because exports of goat and sheep meat to Russia are very small.

The country’s state secretary Henk Bleker said that the measure taken by Russia, which also outrules the import of breeding animals, sperm and embryos, was unnecessary since there is no risk to public health. Ministry spokeswoman Cindy Heijdra said that a letter has already been sent to the Russian ministry informing them of the steps taken following the outbreak of the virus. "We don’t see any reason to close the border," she said. "With this letter we hope to reassure the Russians."

Similar letters will be issued to Mexican authorities, which have imposed the same ban, as well as to China, which has asked the Netherlands for information about the virus.

The virus, which was named after the German town Schmallenberg where the first positive samples were identified, was detected in a Dutch sheep farm in December. To date, the disease has been identified in 20 farms across Germany, affecting cattle and sheep, as well as in sheep and goats throughout 52 farms in the Netherlands, and in 14 sheep farms in Belgium. The virus, which is transmitted via insect vectors, leads to fetal malformations and stillbirths in cattle, sheep and goats.

Earlier this month, the Netherlands’ Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health said in a report that further virus circulation in the current winter is unlikely to occur, and there is no evidence to show that the Schmallenberg virus spreads to humans.

Scientists have already sequenced the viral genome and cultured it in insect and hamster cells, and are working to learn more about the virus so that they can develop a cure or vaccine.