Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. July 2025
    2. June 2025
    3. 2025 Innovation supplement
    4. May 2025
    5. April 2025
    6. March 2025
    7. 2025 Buildings supplement
    8. February 2025
    9. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    10. January 2025
    11. December 2024
    12. November 2024
    13. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    14. October 2024
    15. September 2024
    16. August 2024
    17. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    18. July 2024
    19. June 2024
    20. 2024 Innovation supplement
    21. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    22. May 2024
    23. April 2024
    24. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    25. March 2024
    26. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    27. February 2024
    28. January 2024
    29. December 2023
    30. November 2023
    31. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    32. October 2023
    33. September 2023
    34. Health Supplement
    Featured

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025
    Recent

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025

    June 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    June 4, 2025

    2025 Innovation supplement now available

    June 4, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
Comment

ASF situation improving as controls take effect

Vladislav VorotnitkovBy Vladislav VorotnitkovJune 5, 20194 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

In his latest Eastern European update, Russian journalist Vladislav Vorotnitkov takes a look at the latest measures being taken to deal with African swine fever

While Asian countries have been shackled by the rapid spread of African swine fever (ASF), veterinary services in eastern Europe have reported some big gains in their battle against the disease.

Only 21 ASF outbreaks have been reported in Ukraine since the start of the year, according to Boris Kobal, deputy director of the Ukraine state veterinary service.

Last year, a total of 88 outbreaks were recorded, one more than in 2017, Mr Kobal said during a briefing in Kiev in May.

Mr Kobal highlighted the combined efforts of government agencies, farmers and meat processors in improving the situation. But he stressed that, although the overall number of outbreaks is significantly down when compared to the previous two years, the current situation with ASF in Ukraine can still hardly be described as positive.

Despite signs of improvement, the Ukraine Centre for Improving Efficiency in the Livestock Industry claimed that industrial farms are covering up outbreaks all over the country. Director Nikolay Babenko said that farmers run the risk of going bankrupt when faced with an ASF outbreak as they are not receiving any state aid.

For most farmers, the only way to avoid that is to urgently sell out the entire pig stock – and this is contributing to the further spread of the disease, Mr Babenko said.

Brighter picture in Russia
In Russia, there has been a significant reduction in the number of outbreaks in 2019, according to veterinary body Rosselkhoznadzor, which has reported just seven outbreaks since the turn of the year – six of which were in the wild.

The number of outbreaks on farms has steadily declined since 2016, when the epidemic reached its peak in Russia, with 222 outbreaks confirmed on farms. That fell to 149 in 2017 and 59 in 2018.

There are still no official ASF outbreaks in Belarus, although some local independent news outlets have reported suspicious cases where dead pigs were found.

In 2018, Russian Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev accused the Belarus authorities of hiding the disease, when products containing the ASF genome were imported from Belarus into Russia. Belarus officials have still not confirmed that any outbreaks have occurred.

Imports bringing in ASF
The figures don’t include incidences when infected products have been found on grocery shelves. In May, Rosselkhoznadzor reported that sausages with the ASF genome had been imported from China. Deputy director Nikolay Vlasov said the sausages did not contain the live virus, although there are concerns that some types of sausage do not undergo heat treatment, meaning ASF could be present in the form of a live virus that could cause an outbreak among pigs.

Rosselkhoznadzor is seeking the right to strengthen Russia’s border controls, and to sterilise all vehicles coming into Russia from countries with active ASF outbreaks, as well as destroying all meat products carried by Russian citizens returning from these countries.

Extreme measures considered
For more than two years, the eastern members of the EU, including Poland and Lithuania, have been mulling the idea of building a fence on the border with Belarus and Russia, to protect their territories from infected wild boar. The idea was not supported by western members, so the project has been cancelled.

Instead, Poland is considering asking the army to shoot wild boar. It is known that Russia, China and Vietnam have been using soldiers to help to handle the consequences of ASF outbreaks, but this is the first time military forces have been used to wage war against the animals.

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleAre UK pig producers getting a rough deal on prices?
Next Article NPA warns of potential dangers of US trade deal
Vladislav Vorotnitkov

Read Similar Stories

Comment: British pork reimagined: Data-led marketing for a changing consumer

July 9, 2025

Comment: Market recovery, export growth and on-farm innovation

July 7, 2025

Comment: Encouraging signs as big pig issues discussed in parliament

July 4, 2025
Latest News

ABN kicks off pioneering long-term mill project

July 11, 2025

Red Tractor to press ahead with new tiers for outdoor pig producers

July 10, 2025

Last chance to enter or nominate for 2025 National Pig Awards

July 10, 2025
Sponsored Content

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024

Tackle the root cause of PWD with free diagnostic tests

March 1, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Senior-Level Pig Stockperson – Ref 1760 Hampshire

    • Hampshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1759 North Yorkshire

    • North Yorkshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1758 Norfolk

    • Norfolk
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.