China Customs has issued an import ban on cattle from India as the South Asian country grapples with several recent outbreaks of “lumpy skin disease,” an infection related to smallpox that causes weakness, reduced milk production, infertility, and sometimes death in affected animals.

The ban, published Wednesday on China Customs’ official WeChat account, went into effect last Friday. It calls for an indefinite prohibition on importing cattle or related products from India, either directly or indirectly. Any such products of Indian origin found on inbound ships, aircraft, or other means of transport will be “sealed up,” while any illegal imports will be “destroyed,” the notice said.

On Nov. 18, India’s animal husbandry department reported three recent outbreaks of lumpy skin disease, the first occurring in August, to the World Organisation for Animal Health. The virus that causes lumpy skin disease is highly infectious in cattle but does not affect humans.

So far this year, India has been the world’s second-largest exporter of beef, trailing only Brazil, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. China, meanwhile, is the world’s second-largest beef importer behind the U.S. and is currently experiencing a spike in beef and poultry consumption in part due to African swine fever ravaging the country’s pork supply over the past year, driving up prices. (Image: The Paper)