Russia’s loss from African swine fever 5 bln rbl in 10 yrs

BYKOVO, Moscow Region, Mar 31 (PRIME) – Russia’s direct loss from African swine fever, which killed about a million pigs over 10 years of monitoring,

amounted to 5 billion rubles, Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachyov said on Friday at a meeting of the veterinary watchdog.

“We have lost an almost one million head herd, direct loss has made 5 billion rubles and indirect losses are estimated at tens of billion rubles,” Tkachyov said.

He asked for extension of powers of corresponding authorities in order to “sort out” the issue. He said that pigs on family farms account for more than half of all outbreaks and outbreaks among wild boars make for another 40%.

The disease is spreading, covering new regions each year with the Irkutsk Region falling victim to the virus in 2017.

(56.3779 rubles – U.S. $1)

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