Ukraine and the European Commission have announced they will be taking joint measures to stop the spread of African swine fever (ASF) into Ukraine and the EU.

image expired

The announcement was made on Saturday by the Ukranian State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service. ASF is a virus which can cause death in pigs, though it is not known to affect other species. Cases of the disease have been reported in Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran since 2007.  

Agrarian Policy and Food Supplies Minister, Mykola Prysiazhniuk, told the Ukranian press, "We, jointly with the European Commission, have commenced work on creation of a control zone to avoid and suppress spreading of the virus onto the Ukrainian and, of course, the European territory."

Prysiazhniuk revealed that, during a meeting with EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos, the two agreed to step up control over movements of animal products and grain from areas of Russia affected by African swine fever. They also agreed to monitor the migration of wild animals, as tics which could be present on migrating animals are thought to be a vector for the disease.

Prysiazhniuk added that, as the new measures would mean a large amount of work if undertaken alone, sharing experience, information and the financial burden was a logical step to take. Ukraine has already taken some precautionary measures to stop the spread of ASF to its territory; both live pigs and pork products from Central Russia have been banned in the country.

Tweet