Russian Minister: Belarus Hushes Up Cases Of African Swine Fever

The ASF virus has been found in finished meat products brought from Belarus.

Belarus hushes up the cases of African swine fever (ASF), Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachev says. Interfax.by reports:

"Yesterday the ASF virus was found in the finished meat products brought from Belarus. It seems that our colleagues from Belarus’ veterinary service hide the presence of ASF outbreaks on the territory of the country," – he said at a board meeting on Tuesday.

According to him, this creates the necessity to tighten control when importing products from neighboring countries.

As the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Belarus stated on Tuesday, there’s a "satisfactory epizootic situation" in the country. It was stressed there that this applies not only to the situation of African swine fever, but also to other animal diseases.

As reported, Rosselkhoznadzor banned the importation of pigs and their genetic material, pork and raw pork meat products and by-products, finished products from pork or pork containing products, meat from wild boars, horn-hoofed, leather, intestinal raw materials, bristles and other products of pig industry from Belarus after the ASF virus had been detected in the finished meat products of the Homel meat-packing plant.