Russia has reported a second outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) at a site of the country’s largest pork producer, Miratorg. The outbreak occurred in the Belgorod region in central Russia, Reuters reported.
On Sept. 27, Miratorg reported a similar outbreak in the same region.
ASF is harmless to humans and poses no food safety risk, but is highly contagious among pigs. The disease can be spread by both domestic and wild pigs.
The company said it has taken all measures to localize the outbreak.
African Swine Fever Around the World
On Sept. 20, Haiti reported an outbreak of ASF to the World Organization for Animal Health. This was the first case of ASF reported in Haiti since 1984. On July 28, it’s island counterpart, the Dominican Republic, reported its first case of ASF in four decades.
The U.S. remains free of this deadly virus but has amped up efforts to keep this virus out of the country.
In September, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the dedication of $500 million to expand efforts to coordinate ASF monitoring, surveillance, prevention, quarantine and eradication activities through USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
“It costs a lot of money to prevent an FAD outbreak, but it costs a whole lot more to respond to one,” says Andrew Bailey, NPPC science and technology legal counsel.
The $500 million investment is the largest commitment by USDA to prevent a disease, he notes.
For more information on ASF, visit porkbusiness.com/topics/african-swine-fever.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
