Belarus has banned pork imports from Russia's Tver region due to concerns of African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks in that area.

"From November 9, Belarus has restricted the import of pork from the Tver region," stated the official message the Department of Veterinary and Food supervision under the Ministry of Agriculture of the country. "This decision was made due to the further spread of the highly dangerous disease - African Swine Fever in the region," the statement said.

"According to an alert by the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) since November 2012, veterinary experts are still identifying animals infected with the causative agent of African Swine Fever in the hunting area of Zavidovo, Konakovo district, in the Tver region," said the department.

In this regard, the Department of Veterinary and Food Supervision is considering it necessary to prevent Belarus import of live pigs and pork, including wild boars, and processed meat, hides, raw intestines, hair, hunting trophies derived from animals susceptible to the disease, feed and feed additives both phytogenic and animal origin, including heat treated as well as used equipment for keeping and butchering of pigs.

At the same time, the veterinary inspectors of the Tver region just recently lifted the ASF quarantine in the Konakovo district. Plans for restrictive measures to eliminate outbreaks of African Swine Fever and prevent the spread of the disease in the Tver region are being carried out.