Russia will need 10 billion to 12 billion roubles ($355 million to $425 million) and seven years to extinguish the rapidly spreading viral disease African swine fever (ASF), the country’s chief veterinarian said April 18.
Nikolai Vlasov, who is also deputy head of the Russian animal and plant health agency, said it had proposed a program to eradicate the pig killer, which has to be approved by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
He said since the start of the year 17,000 pigs had either died from ASF in Russia or had to be culled. Last year some 60,000 pigs had to be culled or died of ASF, a viral disease that is not a threat to people but is lethal to pigs and has no medical cure.
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Vlasov said that he saw no threat to medium or large pig-breeding farms, which were well protected against ASF and other diseases. But small farms could be affected.
The plan proposes isolating the south from the rest of the country by a 200-km (124-miles) -wide zone and clearing it of pigs and wild boars in six months, Vlasov said.
The owners will not be allowed to buy new pigs, but they will be allowed to export meat southwards and the government will help farmers breed other animals not susceptible to ASF.
Once cleared, the area will be subject to a 1-1/2-year quarantine period, after which pigs and boars will be gradually reintroduced. The pig-free zone will then be slowly shifted farther south and within seven years will reach the border.
