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Veterinary experts link case of African swine fever to contaminated feed

 

The Belarusian State Veterinary Center has established that the hog in the Hrodna region that succumbed to African swine fever earlier this month had caught the deadly virus through contaminated feed.

The hog's owner, a village resident, had bought the imported feed from a private company shortly before the hog's death, the newspaper Belorusskaya Niva reported with reference to Agriculture Minister Leanid Zayats.

The minister confirmed on June 21 that a temporary ban on the sale of pork from the Hrodna region to other regions and abroad was in place.

Mr. Zayats suggested that Belarus' veterinary authorities use other countries' experience while containing the disease. He directed that extra security measures should be introduced by all farms before August 1.

He urged Belkaapsayuz, a state-owned company that runs a network of rural stores, to sell only domestic feeds, and also called for inspections at feed wholesalers and retailers. //BelaPAN