Kazakhstan bans animal feed wheat imports from Russia after cattle disease outbreak

ALMATY, March 25 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan banned imports of animal feed wheat from Russia after an outbreak of cattle diseases in several Russian regions bordering Kazakhstan led to mass culling of livestock, a document issued by the State Inspection Committee showed.

Russian authorities identified the diseases as pasteurellosis, a severe bacterial pneumonia, and rabies, but many veterinarians and farmers have said that pasteurellosis can be treated with antibiotics and does not require slaughter.

The culling of thousands of animals in the Novosibirsk region has sparked rare protests in Russia and prompted calls by farmers for the resignation of top government officials overseeing agriculture.

"This measure is aimed at ensuring veterinary safety, in connection with the recent deterioration of the epizootic situation," the document, dated March 21, said. Imports of other grains used for animal feed production are also banned.

Kazakhstan's Agriculture Ministry told Reuters that the ban does not apply to food grade wheat from Russia. Kazakhstan imported 0.9 million metric tons of wheat, both for food and for animal feed, from Russia since September 2025.