March 10, 2014

Poland's pig farmers to receive ASF compensation

The EU and Poland will co-finance the compensation for Polish pig-farmers caught up in the African swine fever (ASF) crisis, according to the Minister of Agriculture Stanislaw Kalemba.

However, compensation will only be given to pig-farmers in the buffer zone created last month along the border with Belarus and Lithuania, where cases of ASF were detected. The compensation will be 50% from EU, and 50% from European resources.

On January 29, Russia introduced an embargo on EU pork products with cases of ASF emerging in wild boars in Lithuania and Poland, near the Belarusian border.

Poland is one of the biggest EU exporters of pork, and since the outbreak was detected farmers have been selling products for lower prices.

The compensation will cover the differences in sale prices, with farmers obliged to provide documentation of each sale.

The EU claims that Russia's response was "disproportionate", with Health Commissioner Tonio Borg arguing that in all likelihood, the outbreak occurred in Belarus, and not within the EU.

Negotiations are ongoing about lifting the ban, with the EU arguing that at the very least, the embargo should only concern the areas where the outbreak was detected. However, it remains unclear whether entire countries will be classed as areas affected by the outbreak.

ASF is not harmful to humans, but it is one of the most devastating diseases for pigs.

Since Russia's ban, China has also blocked imports of Polish pork.