By our economics editors
Oct 25, 2023 at 12:14 Update: 26 minutes ago
China has banned the import of beef and mutton from the Netherlands due to the spread of the bluetongue virus. Officially, the ban applies to all ruminant animals and to products made from the animals.
China also bans the import of beef and sheep products from Belgium, where bluetongue has also emerged. The number of infections in Belgium is still a lot smaller than in our country.
Infections with the bluetongue virus have been detected at around 2,500 livestock farms, according to figures from the regulator NVWA.
It is not immediately clear how hard Dutch farmers will be hit by the Chinese ban. Baby milk powder, pork and by-products from the meat industry, such as liver, tongue and intestines, were the most important agricultural products purchased by China in the Netherlands, according to 2021 figures.
The bluetongue virus spreads through small biting flies called midges. Many sheep in particular become infected with the virus and die from the disease. Cattle and goats can also get bluetongue.
Outgoing Minister of Agriculture Piet Adema recently said that he fears a dramatic decline in the number of sheep. He wondered whether the sector will survive the bluetongue outbreak.
Image: ANP
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2023-10-25 10:14:23
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