Lithuania imposed the ban on June 8.
The ban applies to import of sheep, goats and cattle, their meat and products containing their meat. The import of Czech animal feed containing protein of animal origin will also be banned, but the ban does not cover feed for pets, fur animals, fish or feed containing milk or fish proteins, a Latvian veterinary official said.
This year Latvia has not imported any live cattle, meat products or feed containing animal protein from the Czech Republic, the Latvian sanitary border inspectorate confirmed.
Donatas Valionis, chief veterinary officer of the Lithuanian Food and Veterinary Service, said a total of 12 tons of beef were imported from the Czech Republic in Lithuania this year, with nearly all the production purchased by McDonald's.
Due to the mad-cow disease outbreak in Europe, the Latvian National Veterinary Service has prohibited imports of cattle, sheep, goats and carcasses of these animals from 12 European Union member states.
The Czech Republic is the first country outside the EU to report mad-cow disease.
Foot-and-mouth at ease
The Estonian Veterinary Board eased restrictions from June 11 on the import of farm products from Holland in connection with the end of the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in that country.
A similar decision concerning imports from France and Ireland was made in Estonia in May, with full restrictions remaining in force for Great Britain only.
The additional restrictions remaining in force for Great Britain ban the import of pets, horses, poultry, zoo animals, eggs for hatching, poultry products, fish flour used as fodder, and pet food.
Also, travelers arriving from Britain are banned from bringing any raw food or food products of animal origin into Estonia.
Latvian authorities will allow the transport of animal products from Ireland, France and the Netherlands in transit but will leave in place most import restrictions imposed due to foot-and-mouth, despite the successful fight against the disease in Europe lately.
Softened regulations for transit took effect June 11.
Latvia has banned the import of cattle and other cloven-foot animals, their carcasses and products, milk and dairy products and fodder and grain from over 30 countries since March. The ban also applies to the import of second-hand clothes and agriculture machinery from countries where the disease was detected.
Transit via Latvia of the forbidden products was banned from Great Britain, Ireland, France, Argentina and the Netherlands.
Mandatory washing stopped
Estonia on June 11 ended compulsory disinfection of tires of motor vehicles and passengers' footwear at its border checkpoints. It will continue to apply the measure to passengers on direct flights from Great Britain only.
Latvian authorities have decided to gradually phase out disinfection on land borders also beginning June 11. The barriers will be retained in airports and ports because these points of entry are used by people arriving from the United Kingdom. A total of 632,000 people and 286,000 vehicles underwent disinfection measures in Latvia, costing the state 125,000.
The Lithuanian State Veterinary Service has ended vehicle disinfection at border points with Poland and Latvia. Only disinfected rugs will be left at those checkpoints. Vehicle disinfection will be continued according to the established procedure at the border points with Russia's Kaliningrad region and at the Klaipeda seaport.
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