African Swine Fever continues to advance through Russia and one of the government leaders thinks it might wipe out the
industry.
Anton Karmazin, a leading Russian
veterinarian, said things are going “from bad to worst” and that the Russian
hog industry is on the verge of collapse.
"Due to the active spread of African Swine Fever and Russia's
accession to the WTO (World Trade Organization), which has led to the serious
decrease of all tariffs on pork import from abroad, pig production in the
country is currently standing on the brink of catastrophe," he
recently told a national conference.
He is head of veterinary services for Rosselkhoznadzor district and said
every year the country recorded growth in the number of outbreaks of the virus
which is increasing in a geometric progression.
"Infection covers new regions and the damage amounts to billions of
rubles," he said.
According to Karmazin, to stop the spread of the African Swine Fever the
country should change the legislative base of the veterinary system as well as
the structure of the veterinary services.
