The Dutch Agriculture Ministry has halted all exports of live sheep, cows and goats after an outbreak of bluetongue, a spokeswoman said Friday according to The Associated Press. Bluetongue is a disease transmitted by midges that is harmless to people, but can be fatal for ruminant animals, especially sheep. Spokeswoman Marjet Heins said it was the first time the disease has been detected in Northern Europe, as the midges that transmit the sickness are typically found only in far warmer climes. It was not immediately clear if the midges had spread to the country during a record heat wave in July. «We're trying to understand several things, including how far through the country these insects are spread, how far the disease is spread, and how the outbreak began,» she said. The ministry is not planning to cull animals, Heins said. She said the ban would likely last at least a week, and possibly months, depending on what agricultural investigators find. An Italian expert with more knowledge of the disease is assisting, the European Commission said in a statement. The disease was found on one farm in the southern city of Kerkrade, near the German and Belgian borders, and is suspected at several others nearby. The Netherlands has established a 100-kilometer (60-mile protection zone around the affected farms. In the zone, farmers are advised to keep livestock inside and spray for insects. All transport of ruminants is banned within a second 20-kilometer (12-mile) zone.
