The number of ASF outbreaks in Russia reached 147

Since the beginning of 2021, as of August 23, 147 outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) have been recorded in Russia: 60 in wild fauna and 87 among domestic animals. This was reported in the Information and Analytical Center (IAC) of the Veterinary Supervision Department of the Federal Center for Animal Health of the Rosselkhoznadzor (FGBU "ARRIAH").

According to the IAC, this year the largest number of outbreaks (26) was registered in the Yaroslavl region - 13 cases among wild boars and the same number among domestic pigs. Currently, there are 18 epizootic foci in this region under quarantine (11 among domestic pigs, 7 in the wild).

Deputy Head of the Rosselkhoznadzor Konstantin Savenkov traveled to the Yaroslavl region, he took part in a working meeting on the stabilization of the ASF epizootic situation in the region.

“Rosselkhoznadzor and the government of the Yaroslavl region at the meeting developed and adopted joint proposals aimed at stabilizing the situation and quickly eliminating outbreaks of ASF in the region,” the ministry said in a statement.

The participants of the meeting spoke in favor of the need to toughen the punishment for violation of quarantine rules up to criminal liability. Also, to combat ASF, it is proposed to transfer pig farms with a low level of biosecurity to alternative types of animal husbandry. “The government of the Yaroslavl region has proposed to farms engaged in pig breeding to switch to goose breeding, sheep breeding, goat breeding, etc.,” the Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement.

The problem is that the largest number of ASF outbreaks occurs in personal subsidiary plots (PSPs), which often violate biosafety rules. For example, they release pigs for free range, which is prohibited by current veterinary rules, or feed pigs with food waste that has not been thermally processed or acquired illegally.

Another way to combat the spread of ASF, experts call the mandatory registration of farm animals.