Iceland must demand exemption for live animal imports in EU talks, says vet

Vilhjálmur Svansson, a veterinarian at the University of Iceland's Institute of Experimental Pathology at Keldur, stressed the critical need for the Icelandic government to secure an unwavering exemption for live animal imports should accession talks with the European Union commence.

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Icelandic authorities must demand an unconditional exemption regarding the import of live animals, should accession talks with the European Union commence.

Svansson highlighted that infectious agents, which may cause minimal or no symptoms elsewhere, could have devastating effects on Iceland's native livestock breeds. These animals have evolved in significant isolation throughout much of Iceland's history, leaving them vulnerable to foreign diseases.

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Pathogens that cause few or no symptoms abroad can have much more serious effects here on the native breeds that have lived in great isolation for a large part of Iceland's history.

The veterinarian identified the importation of live animals as the most significant concern within his field. He warned that new infectious diseases could emerge, against which Icelandic livestock possess no natural defenses. Historical experience demonstrates that the consequences of such outbreaks can be both financially burdensome and protracted, given the centuries of isolation experienced by Iceland's farm animals.

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The import of live animals is the biggest concern in my field, as it can bring new infectious diseases against which Icelandic livestock breeds have no resistance.