Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed an executive order yesterday to create a Government Commission on the Prevention of the Spread and Eradication of the African Swine Fever (ASF) in Russia (emergency response centre) and urged the appropriate authorities to begin the work as soon as possible.
“The centre’s primary goal is to ensure the interaction between the federal government and the regional and municipal authorities, to coordinate oversight activities and to take appropriate measures to counter the ASF,” Mr Dvorkovich said, adding that the centre’s members will meet at least once a month, or more often, if necessary. Other forms of interaction will be used as well. “Most importantly, we should suppress existing ASF pockets, prevent the spread of the disease and maintain our status as a reliable supplier and producer, especially in the run-up to major international events,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
The Ministry of Agriculture noted that personal subsidiary plots are the primary ASF source. For example, there were instances where up to 1,300 pigs were raised at such plots.
The meeting participants discussed proposals on how to combat the ASF, and heard reports by the deputy governors of the Moscow, Smolensk, Volgograd, Tver and Voronezh regions on the epizootic situation in the respective regions.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the appropriate federal government bodies were instructed to put together proposals designed to amend the legislation to increase the liability for failing to prevent the further spread of the ASF.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment was instructed to report on the situation in the specially protected areas and nature reserves, especially the presence of the ASF in the wild boar and to report on progress in fighting the ASF in areas that have been affected.
During the next meeting in early September, the centre’s members will be updated on progress combating the ASF and the situation in the regions.
