RIGA, March 12 (LETA) - Zemturi, one of the largest producers of raw milk in Latvia, has withdrawn its products from stores after a cow on the farm was diagnosed with Q fever, Latvian Television (LTV) reported Thursday.

According to the report, Zemturi has withdrawn more than five tons of raw milk from the market as a precautionary measure. The bacterium was detected on the farm after the Q fever agent was found in one cow.

Lelde Visnevska, the farm's commercial director, told LTV that the reason the bacterium could have been found in Zemturi is that it is found all over Latvia.

"We have been researching and looking for information about it these days, as this is the first time this bacterium has appeared on our farm, but in general it is circulating throughout Latvia. Around 17 percent of Latvian farms have the bacterium, and we have come to attention because we sell raw milk," explained Visnevska.

Kristine Lemberga, head of the veterinary supervision department of the Food and Veterinary Service, told LTV that the disease can only affect raw milk. "This disease does not affect or create any risk whatsoever to products undergoing the pasteurization process. Pasteurized milk is therefore considered completely safe," she said.

Experts note that Q fever is rarely detected on farms in Latvia, and the risk of people contracting the disease is low.

"It is more of a local, dust-related, environmental infection, you could say. So it cannot be said that any particular farm would pose a threat to others. We do not intend to implement any increased national surveillance in this case," said Lemberga.

According to LTV, production on the Zemturi farm, which has around 370 dairy cows, has virtually stopped, as the only product the company supplies to retail chains is raw milk.

According to Firmas.lv, Zemturi was registered in 1992 and has a share capital of EUR 3,000. The largest owner of the company is Janis Visnevskis, who owns 67 percent of the company's shares. Liene Purgaile and Viesturs Davis Visnevskis each own 12,33 percent in Zemturi.