Russian service for veterinary surveillance: Outbreak of African swine fever detected in Belarus

Russia has banned the import of meat from Belarus.

The ban is imposed starting today, the press service of the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance reports.

“According to the oral information from officials of the state veterinary service of Belarus, an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) was detected in the Hrodna district. The Russian veterinary agency suspended the import of pigs, boar semen, pork and pork products from the Hrodna region, Belarus, from 21.06.2013 until a special order,” the press release says.

Information about mass pig deaths in Belarus appeared in late April. The authorities initially refused to admit the epidemic. After deaths of pigs at Uskhodnyae farm near Baranavichy were reported, the authorities said the reason was porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. But the disease doesn’t provoke deaths of adult pigs. It causes reproductive problems and an increase in stillbirths, veterinarians say. The version of the authorities didn’t seem to be worth trusting.

Readers of charter97.org have reported about mass killings of pigs in Minsk and Vitebsk regions.