The State Veterinary Service of Belarus urges villagers not to buy compound feeds from commercial sellers
The State Veterinary Service of Belarus urges villagers not to buy compound feeds from commercial entities. This appeal to rural residents was made today by the Chief State Inspector of the Vitebsk Region, Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and State Veterinary Inspectorate of the Committee for Agriculture and Food of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Kozak, BELTA correspondent reports.
In several regions of Russia, outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) have currently been detected, including a case of animal disease in the Smolensk region this month. An outbreak of African swine fever was registered on June 21 in the territory of the village of Chapun, Ivye district, Grodno region. The cause was the use of compound feed contaminated with the pathogen for feeding pigs. To avoid similar cases, the Chief State Veterinary Inspector of the Vitebsk Region recommends purchasing compound feeds only through the retail network of Belkoopsoyuz or through the branded retail networks of the republic's compound feed industry organizations.
"Some unscrupulous entrepreneurs illegally import compound feeds from outside Belarus into our country, which may contain the pathogen of this or other infections. Naturally, they do not have documents confirming the quality and safety of this product, nor permits from the Department of Veterinary and Food Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, but the price is significantly lower," noted Alexander Kozak. He emphasized that the use of such compound feeds can lead to infectious diseases.
Taking into account the current situation, Alexander Kozak also drew the public's attention to the fact that the ASF virus can be transmitted through meat and meat products, therefore they should be purchased only in retail stores and at market stalls, where products are supplied only after examination. It is recommended that persons raising pigs do not visit the yards of citizens who also keep pigs, and limit visits by other people to their own yards. In case of necessity to slaughter pigs for personal use, it is necessary to call a veterinary specialist to examine the animals, and then conduct a veterinary examination of the meat and internal organs. Before consumption, wild boar slaughter products should be checked in veterinary laboratories.
African swine fever (Montgomery's disease) is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. The disease is transmitted through direct contact between healthy and sick animals, through pork products, by ticks, and mechanically (by vehicles, during animal movement). There is no vaccine. Almost all infected pigs die. Animals suspected of being infected are destroyed. ASF is safe for humans.