In Russia, small pig farms are being converted due to ASF

Small pig farms in RUSSIA are proposed to be converted to other livestock industries to prevent new outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF). Such work is already underway in the country, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Maxim Uvaydov said in an interview with Veterinary Medicine and Life.

“Yes, this is one of the measures, and we already have numbers. The leader in this work is the Novgorod region, where 490 farms have already been transferred to alternative types of animal husbandry in 2021,” the Deputy Minister said.

He also noted the work of the Penza region, where 97 farms were converted, Primorsky Krai (68 farms), Volgograd (60 farms), Kemerovo (18 farms) and Voronezh (13 farms) regions.

These are mainly small farms with a low level of biosecurity, the deputy minister explained. Due to the low level of biosecurity, there is a high probability that the ASF virus will enter the pig farm.

“For pig breeding, ASF is a disaster and a huge loss,” said Maxim Uvaydov. He said that since the beginning of 2021, 349 cases of ASF have been registered among domestic pigs in Russia. Moreover, 17 cases - at large pig-breeding enterprises.