NSA: in Russia it is necessary to expand the insurance of commercial small cattle livestock in connection with new threats

In RUSSIA, only 4% of the industrial livestock of small ruminants is insured - this calculation was carried out by the National Union of Agricultural Insurers, assessing the protection of cattle breeders in the face of an increased threat of the spread of peste des petits ruminants, which ROSSELKHOZNADZOR warned about on August 7 in connection with the detection of this infection in a number of EU countries and Georgia.

“Obviously, this insurance coverage is not enough to protect this line of ranching. A particular threat is posed by peste des petits ruminants, which causes the death of up to 70% of the livestock when infected and is a dangerous infectious disease. This summer, the infection appeared in uncharacteristic areas in Eastern Europe. The disease has also been reported in Georgia. Let me remind you that this disease is included in the list of those for which agricultural insurance is provided with state support,” said NSA President Korney Bizhdov.

In total, as of June, 443 thousand sheep and goats were insured under state support in Russia. Most of all are in Dagestan (288 thousand heads), Kursk region (67 thousand heads), Tula region (36 thousand), Trans-Baikal Territory (26 thousand heads). Separate herds of small cattle are insured in the Kirov region, the Udmurt Republic, the Republics of Komi, Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Crimea, Khakassia, Altai and the Altai Territory.

The spread of peste des petits ruminants in the previously disease-free EU zone began in July 2024. The first sheep diseases were identified in the Romanian county of Tulcea, adjacent to the Ukrainian ports on the Danube, and today this region is the main area affected by the infection. As of August 9, according to the Romanian veterinary authority, this region accounts for 48 of the 56 active outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants. Further outbreaks were identified in Bulgaria and Greece. In Romania, 200 thousand sheep have already been destroyed, in Greece - 14 thousand.

According to Federal Law N 260-F3 “On state support in the field of agricultural insurance”, in Russia, within the framework of a centralized system, state support is provided for insurance of risks of crop production, livestock breeding and commercial aquaculture. Only insurance companies that are members of a single all-Russian association - the National Union of Agricultural Insurers - have the right to conclude insurance contracts with state support. Insurance is carried out on the basis of uniform standard rules for each insurance program provided for in the agricultural insurance system .