Experts concerned about the spread of ASF in Italy

ROSSELKHOZNADZOR is concerned about the widespread and intense spread of African swine fever (ASF) across the European Union. In particular, the experts of the department are concerned about the situation with the introduction of the virus into Italy. This is stated in the message of the service following a meeting with representatives of the European Commission for HEALTH and Food Safety (DG SANTE).

“The unique introduction of the virus to Italy is of particular concern, where in the 3 weeks that have passed since the first confirmed fact of the death of a wild boar from ASF, another 13 infected individuals have been identified,” the Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement .

The agency's experts noted that the distance from outbreaks in the provinces of Piedmont and Liguria to the nearest unfavorable zone is at least 900 km. “Which makes it important to establish the exact causes of what happened,” the Russian ministry added.

At the same time, the reports that are presented on the EU information resources do not fully explain the factors contributing to the emergence of ASF in Italy, the experts said.

“At the moment, only the absence of a connection between outbreaks in the continental part of Italy with the island of Sardinia, which is stationary for ASF, has been confirmed,” the experts of the service said.

Rosselkhoznadzor appealed to representatives of the European Commission with a request to send the results of the investigation to the department, up-to-date data on measures taken in the European Union to combat ASF.

According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), in 2021, 8.4 thousand outbreaks of ASF were recorded in the European Union, of which 1.76 thousand in domestic pigs and 6.67 thousand in wild boars.

“As far back as 2013, Russian experts predicted the introduction of ASF to Europe through the northern and southern vectors and the further spread of the disease,” the Rosselkhoznadzor recalled.

According to experts of the department, the situation will worsen, as ASF is steadily spreading deep into the EU. “What raises relevant questions about the capabilities of the veterinary services,” the Russian service noted.

Given the risk of introducing the disease into RUSSIA with finished MEAT products supplied from the EU, Rosselkhoznadzor intends to conduct inspections in exporting countries of dry-cured products, which include pork, and also continue to conduct inspections of manufacturers of feed and feed additives for animals.