The State Veterinary and Biosecurity Service of Ukraine is holding consultations with veterinary services of Russia, Belarus and the European Union regarding the regionalization of pork supplies and pork productions due to outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF).
‘In pursuance of the order of the prime minister yesterday we started direct dialog with authorized agencies of the neighbor countries,’ Deputy Head of the State Veterinary and Biosecurity Service Oleksandr Verzhykhovsky said.
He said that a video conference with the top managers of the authorized agency in Russia was held. The dialog with Belarusian counterparts is planned for August 21 and from August 25 – with European colleagues.’We want to show our actions and want to assure our trade partners that if they introduce temporary restrictions they should concern those regions where we have problems,’ he added.
Verzhykhovsky said that Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv and Sumy regions are of ASF concern, where the wild bores depopulation measures are being taken.He said that on August 19, some 264 pigs were destroyed at Kozatska farm after the confirmation of ASF virus by lab tests.
He said that local authorities could compensate the loss to private households: around UAH 2,500-3,000 per pig.
Verzhykhovsky said that according to the draft 2016 national budget, financing of the veterinary service is left at the level of the previous year, which is unsatisfactory for the realization of effective measures to maintain the epizootic situation in Ukraine.
The top managers of the service would ask the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to provide financial and consultation aid in fighting ASF virus.As reported, an ASF outbreak at the Kalita farm was registered on July 28, 2015. Its pig livestock exceeded 60,000 animals. The farm estimates its losses at about UAH 200 million. This is the first ASF outbreak at an agribusiness.Since 2012, there have been over 30 ASF cases in Zaporizhia, Luhansk, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne and Poltava regions.
The ASF virus is the causative agent of ASF. The virus causes a hemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in pigs, but persistently infects its natural hosts, warthogs, bushpigs and soft ticks of the Ornithodoros genus, without any visible symptoms. There is currently no vaccine against ASF.
