May 16, 2017

The European Union will extend financial support for two pilot projects intended to eradicate African swine fever in Ukraine and Moldova.

For this year, the envisaged financial support for Ukraine is up to 250,000 euros (US$274,681), allotted for the improvement of its surveillance system for both domestic pigs and wild boar in regions bordering the EU and Moldova, the pig industry news site Traffic Lights reported.

The amount earmarked for Moldova is up to EUR150,000, which will support the purchase of equipment needed to control the disease, with which afflicted pigs have high mortality rates.

The spread of the disease in Ukraine and Moldova poses a serious threat to the southern part of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, the Traffic Lights report stated.

Also, the presence of the disease in the Russian Federation and Belarus represents a continuous source of infection for the already infected EU member countries.

The EU said that countries from Finland to Romania need to give political priority to the threat posed by the disease.