ASF Russia: Half a million pigs culled in 2023
Russia’s ministry of agriculture estimated that the country culled nearly 486,000 pigs in 2023 due to African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks. Despite the losses, the Russian government believes its efforts to crack down on illegal online pork trade have improved the veterinary situation in the pig industry.
The ministry calculated that ASF outbreaks occurred in 49 Russian regions in 2023, with 68 confirmed on pig farms, including backyards. In 2022, the number of outbreaks was as high as 141, the ministry said. It did not provide any other figures, including how many pigs were culled in 2022.
Russian state news outlet Interfax reported that the veterinary situation in Russia might improve thanks to a ban on online sales of pork and by-products imposed in March 2023.
This channel was believed to be widely used by unscrupulous suppliers. Occasional reports indicated that meat products infected with ASF or containing the virus genome were found in e-commerce.
Nikita Lebedev, advisor to the head of Rosselkhoznadzor, reported in 2023, “As investigations following ASF outbreaks show, the majority of them were related to using food waste purchased from various social institutions, like schools, canteens, hospitals and cafes, or on Internet sites as animal feed.” She explained that ASF can find a way into such food waste and trigger a new outbreak.
Vincent ter Beek | Pig Progress
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