Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

African swine fever (ASF) which is widespread in Belarus, is not threatening Azerbaijan, head of the State Veterinary Service under the Azerbaijan Agriculture Ministry Siyala Rustamova said on Thursday.

"We have no pig farms. Pigs are mainly bred in individual enterprises in Gabala. There are about 6,000 pigs, and we do not purchase pig products from Belarus. Therefore, the probability of penetration of ASF in Azerbaijan is very low," Rustamova said.

According to her, the employees of the State Veterinary Service regularly check the health of pigs and examine pathological materials taken from both wild and domestic animals.

"In addition, all animal products imported to Azerbaijan, are allowed to be sold only after they are examined in the Republican Veterinary Laboratory," Rustamova said.

Belarus continues to fight against the spread of ASF. Animals in the risk zones are being taken from their owners and destroyed. Authorities impose restrictions on the breeding of pigs in private enterprises.

21 swine were killed by the disease at a farm, in Vitebskiy, in north-east Belarus, with 1,089 pigs being destroyed as a precaution and 20,611 animals at risk of contracting the illness, the World Organization for Animal Health reported.

The source is as yet unknown, and the Belarus agriculture and food industry has imposed controls on wildlife movements: quarantine of livestock at risk, movement controls of swine across Belarus: screening, and disinfection of infected premises. It has not restored to vaccination and affected animals are not being treated.

This followed an initial small outbreak in June at Ivye, in north-west Belarus, caused by infected animal feed. Here 15 animals were destroyed after one pig died from the disease, confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction test.