Belarus, aiming to boost food exports to neighbouring Russia, has cancelled a ban on live cattle from the European Union, Yuri Pivovarchuk, the head of veterinary surveillance at Belarussian agriculture ministry, said. Minsk said the cancellation of the ban was not caused by its plans to increase exports to Russia, which restricted meat, dairy and some other products worth about $9 billion from EU, the United States, Norway, Canada and Australia in early August in retaliation for sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. Belarus said the cattle ban, imposed in 2012-2013, was cancelled due to reduced concern over Schmallenberg virus, which infected many sheep and cows in some EU countries in 2011. "On the basis of a letter from the World Organisation for Animal Health ... we concluded this virus does not pose a threat to animals and their offspring now," Pivovarchuk told Reuters.
