ASF continues to destroy pork farming in Black Belt region, Russia

15-11-2011 | Home | News

Two new outbreaks of African swine fever have been recorded in the Black Belt region – the center of pork production in Russia, where a third of the pig stock is concentrated in the country, and where the Belgorod region is located with virtually all the major pig complexes.

ASF has been registered in one of the largest farms in the Rostov region. Rosselkhoznadzor confirmed that the pork producing enterprise of the company “Bataisk” a new outbreak of ASF has surfaced. The presence of the disease has been confirmed in the Regional Veterinary Laboratory and the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute. Total pig stock at the farm where the outbreak was found is about four thousands heads, reported Rosselkhoznadzor.

Also last week another outbreak of African swine fever was first registered in the Voronezh region – at a private farm, which contained 700 head of pigs. According to preliminary estimates of Veterinary Services of the Black Belt Region as a result of these two outbreaks, over 11 thousand of pigs will be destroyed.

Also officials added that in both cases, the outbreaks happened due to the use of infected feed – heat-treated food waste. A state of emergency has been declared in both regions.

Two cases of pig mortality has been recently registered in the Black Earth – one in the Kursk and another in the Voronezh region, about 20 km. from the border of the Belgorod region. The pathological material from dead animals were sent to veterinary laboratories to confirm the presence of ASF.

(By Vladislav Vorotnikov)