News
14.05.2009
Ukraine bans swine imports from southern Russia
Ukraine has banned imports of pork and swine from the Russian Southern Federal District following a registered case of African swine fever in the Rostov region (200 kilometres from the border with Ukraine), the head of the Ukrainian State Committee for Veterinary Medicine, Pyotr Verbitsky, said on Wednesday.
"Unlike swine flu, this virus is very dangerous. Animal mortality is 99 percent," he stressed. "There is no vaccine against this disease. The only preventive measure is to destroy animals," Verbitsky added.
According to Russia's Rosselkhoznadzor agricultural watchdog, special commissions have been set up in all Russian regions to coordinate work on the liquidation of African swine fever hotbeds. An aggravation of epizootic situation with African swine fever in the republic North Ossetia-Alania, the Stavropol region and the Rostov region in March-April was discussed at a session of the Agriculture Ministry on April 27.
At a session in Rostov-on-Don on April 24 Rosselkhoznadzor head Sergei Dankvert warned about the danger of the spread of African swine fever and connected with it possible decline in meat exports.
He said the present outbreak came from Georgia. According to Rosselkhoznadzor, a high-security bio-laboratory functioned there. Dankvert did not say which department it belonged to.
ITAR-TASS
