English

Hundreds of hogs culled as authorities work to prevent spread of African swine fever

 

Belarus` veterinary authorities have already culled hundreds of hogs in an effort to contain the spread of the African swine fever virus, the government`s news agency BelTA reported with reference to Agriculture Minister Leanid Zayats.

On June 21, the Belarusian State Veterinary Center said that a hog in a village in the Iwye district had been found to have succumbed to the disease. The hog belonged to a village resident.

No cases of African swine fever had been registered in Belarus before, according to Mr. Zayats.

The minister announced that a "quarantine" had been introduced in the area where the case of the virus had been registered. Veterinary authorities have culled 1,646 hogs belonging to residents of the Iwye district and neighboring districts as a prevention measure, he said.

In one of the measures introduced by the Council of Ministers to prevent an outbreak of the disease, hog farm employees have been prohibited from keeping hogs at home and hunting. The minister promised that the restrictions would be removed once the situation was back to normal.

Mr. Zayats said that the government would pay 18,337 rubels per kilogram in compensation to the people whose hogs had been culled by veterinarians.

Under rules adopted the government, owners of hogs that catch the virus are prohibited from keeping hogs for six months after the registration of the case. // BelaPAN