The location selected for the burial of the corpses of pigs found with African swine fever at a farm in Anenii Noi has been selected by the Commission for Exceptional Situations. The distance from the area where the pigs are buried to the first house is 1 km, that is why environmental officials give assurances that residents of the area and neighboring villages will not be affected, IPN reports.
“The work to liquidate the outbreak is being carried out with environmental protection,” Ion Bulmaga, head of the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, told a press conference.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Ludmila Catlabuga noted that the information that the livestock sector is being destroyed is false and since the situation has been intervened, action is being taken to save the livestock sector and the country’s food security. The minister called upon the people to remain calm and try to direct efforts to bring stability in the sector. Likewise, she said that MAIA is taking the responsibility to come up with urgent policies to intervene promptly to eradicate the outbreak and the situation in general.
ANSA Director General Radu Musteata said that the first suspicions of African swine fever at the farm in Anenii Noi appeared on Sunday. The veterinary health authority intervened quickly and on Monday morning the samples were confirmed.
African swine fever has appeared in Moldova since 2018. The outbreak on the farm is the first. The Commission for Exceptional Situations has been convened in Anenii Noi and a strict action plan is being implemented to eradicate the outbreak.
According to the head of ANSA, it is important for the population to comply with the requirements for feeding and monitoring the health of pigs, and if they identify dead bodies in their households, to immediately notify the authorities. The disease is not transmissible to humans, but this does not mean that the affected pork can be eaten.
Radu Musteata noted that wild boars are important factors in disease transmission. People who report wild boar carcasses found in Moldovan forests receive a €50 reward.
An outbreak of African Swine Fever broke out on a commercial pig farm in the outskirts of Roscani, Anenii Noi district. The presence of the virus was confirmed by laboratory tests on samples taken from pigs. Representatives of the National Agency for Food Safety had previously told IPN that “in total, about 65,000 head of pigs have been damaged”. Another outbreak of African swine fever was recorded on a commercial farm in Cimiseni, Criuleni district. Representatives of the National Agency for Food Safety do not specify the number of heads, but the local press reports that it is estimated at 45 000 pigs.
African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boars, but poses no danger to humans. However, the impact on the livestock industry is major and the expansion of outbreaks can lead to economic losses and disruption to pork supplies.
