USDA: A Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in Russia May Be Misidentified as Other Livestock Diseases
According to a report by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Russian veterinary authorities are taking strict measures due to an outbreak of cattle disease in Siberia. However, the real cause might not be pasteurellosis, as officially stated, but foot-and-mouth disease, reports DairyNews.today.
The report notes that quarantine restrictions have been imposed in several regions, including the Novosibirsk region, with mass slaughter of animals and restrictions on their movement. Officially, the measures are explained as a fight against pasteurellosis and isolated cases of rabies, but USDA sources in the region believe that the scale of removals and export restrictions aligns more with a response to foot-and-mouth disease.
Additional indirect evidence cited by the USDA includes restrictions from Kazakhstan, which in February 2026 temporarily banned the import of live animals, meat, dairy products, animal-derived raw materials, and feed from several Russian regions.
However, the report emphasizes that there is no official confirmation of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak from Russia. Nonetheless, the USDA believes that the nature of veterinary measures and trade restrictions may indicate a risk of this disease spreading.
Additional indirect evidence cited by the USDA includes restrictions from Kazakhstan, which in February 2026 temporarily banned the import of live animals, meat, dairy products, animal-derived raw materials, and feed from several Russian regions.
