20/03/2026 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 18 March, the Latvian Minister of Agriculture, Armands Krauze, called on the European Union to introduce at least a temporary ban on commercial imports of dogs and cats from Russia and Belarus. In a letter addressed to the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, the Latvian minister mentions a case of rabies detected in February in Germany in a dog imported via Latvia from Russia. The Latvian authorities report that 20% of rabies antibody tests carried out on imported animals produced results that did not comply with the standards, raising doubts about the reliability of health documents. Mr Krauze believes that a temporary suspension would be an essential precautionary measure, and is also calling for a meeting of European veterinary experts to assess the risks. (LC)