October 23, 2009
African Swine Fever threatens Russia's pork industry
A bout of African swine fever that is spreading southern Russia is threatening to destroy the country's pork industry, causing financial losses totalling US$1 billion, Agriculture Minister Elena Skrynnik said in Moscow Thursday (October 22), as quoted by the Agriculture Ministry's press service.
Skrynnik said the worst affected area was the southern Rostov Region, where swine fever had been reported in 25 locations. Individual cases had also been reported as far north as Leningrad Region.
Skrynnik said the most vulnerable were small private farms where pigs were allowed to roam free and where no control was exercised by local authorities over the quality of their feed.
