The Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency (AUV) has announced a temporary ban on the import of cattle and their by-products (particularly hides) from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, following the confirmed outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the AUV said the measure is taken under the Veterinary Law, based on reports from ADIS and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), to prevent the spread of the disease into Kosovo.
🔹 Full statement highlights:
Import of cattle and their hides from Lombardy is temporarily suspended.
The disease, Lumpy Skin Disease, is a viral infection in cattle characterized by nodules or lumps on the skin.
It is transmitted by biting insects, mostly active in late spring, summer, and early autumn.
LSD affects only cattle (including cows and buffaloes) and does not pose a risk to humans.
Kosovo experienced its first LSD case in 2016, and AUV says it remains fully prepared to respond rapidly.
🔹 No immediate threat has been identified in Kosovo, but authorities are on high alert and monitoring the situation closely.
🔹 Border control authorities are obliged to enforce the import ban, with the aim of protecting animal health in the country.
