Personal responsibility, modernization. What measures is the Ministry of Agriculture and Food taking to reduce mortality?

October 27, Minsk . To reduce cattle mortality, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food is focusing on disease prevention, infrastructure modernization, and increased accountability at all levels of government. Ivan Smilgin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food and Director of the Department of Veterinary and Food Surveillance, spoke to a BELTA correspondent about which measures are producing tangible results.
The livestock situation was a key topic of discussion in Vitebsk on October 24.
Smilgin noted that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food is consistently implementing a comprehensive approach to reducing mortality. Specific mechanisms are already in place to improve animal welfare conditions and veterinary care for animals. A practice has been introduced for the chairmen of district executive committees to hold agricultural organizations with the greatest losses personally accountable, encouraging prompt responses to problematic situations.
"Special attention is being paid to strengthening the staffing and regulatory framework for the veterinary service. New regulations for emergency slaughter of cattle have been approved, bonuses for specific work by veterinary specialists have been increased depending on the location and scope of duties, and a decree is being developed that will expand the powers of the chief state veterinary inspector and the chief state veterinary inspectors of the regions to monitor compliance with veterinary and sanitary standards," said Ivan Smilgin.
To preserve young animals, an effective tool has been introduced: the targeted relocation of calves to farms with better feeding and housing conditions. Over the first nine months of 2025, more than 44,000 head have been relocated in this way. "Scientific support also plays a key role: laboratory studies
are being conducted jointly with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the Vitebsk Academy of Veterinary Medicine to identify the causes of dairy herd attrition. The data obtained allows for adjustments to diets and improvements in feeding practices, especially during the critical dry period," the deputy minister added. At the same time, large-scale infrastructure modernization is underway: dairy farms, calf shelters (285 facilities planned for 2024 ), and silage and haylage trenches are being built and reconstructed. Today, 75% of cows are kept at 1,700 modern dairy farms, which produce 80% of all milk in the country. "All these measures are constantly monitored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and regional executive committees, ensuring a sustainable trend toward reducing losses and increasing the efficiency of livestock farming," emphasized Ivan Smilgin.