The assessment is based on the OIE guidelines for import risk analysis. The first step is to assess which infectious agents should be considered as hazards. Next, a risk assessment is undertaken for the agents identified as hazards.

Norway is free from all OIE-listed diseases/infections in cattle which can be transmitted through semen, apart from paratuberculosis. The probability of entry of the cattle-strain of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis through imported semen to Iceland is estimated to be negligible to very low. Since the probability that a cow becomes infected, given it’s exposed to contaminated semen, is low, we estimate the likelihood that this agent will be introduced into the Icelandic cattle population with imported cattle semen from Norway to be negligible.

Among other significant infectious agents, Salmonella spp., bovine respiratory syncytialvirus, coronavirus and bovine parainfluenza 3 virus, and Neospora caninum are considered as hazards. The likelihood that any of these agents will be introduced into the Icelandic cattle population with imported cattle semen from Norway is estimated to be negligible.