ASF is a highly contagious hemorrhagic disease of pigs that produces a wide range of clinical signs and lesions that closely resemble those of classical swine fever.

December 11, 2017

1 Min Read
African swine fever spreading in Russia
Getty Images

An outbreak of African swine fever in Russia’s largest pork producer Miratorg has been reported, prompting the company to set up a quarantine in the Belgorod region, according to a report by TASS, the Russian news agency.

“We have repeatedly stated that the situation with the spread of the African swine fever is difficult and outbreaks on the production sites were only a matter of time. Despite extraordinary measures to ensure the bio-safety of our pig-breeding farms, Miratorg has become the next pork producer that suffered because of the virtual absence in Russia of a monitoring system for the observance of veterinary norms in personal part-time farms,” Miratorg President Viktor Linnik was quoted by the company as saying in the TASS report.

According to the Miratorg website, the company has 138,000 sows, producing 3 million hogs per year.

African swine fever is currently listed as the third highest of concern on the Swine Disease Matrix posted on the Swine Health Information Center website, behind only foot-and-mouth disease and classical swine fever of risk to the U.S. swine industry. ASF is a highly contagious hemorrhagic disease of pigs that produces a wide range of clinical signs and lesions that closely resemble those of classical swine fever.

Though this ASF outbreak in Russia is concerning, it is not the only ASF emergence on the global radar. SHIC issued its first Swine Disease Global Surveillance Report looking at the prevalence of classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease in addition to ASF in the world. In that report, there were eight incidences of ASF in Zambia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Chelyabinsk region of Russia, Kurgan region of Russia and Poland.

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
National Hog Farmer is the source for hog production, management and market news

You May Also Like