Russia Accuses Europe of Intransigence over African Swine Fever 

The European Commission has been accused this week of not listening to warnings from Russia over the potential threat of African swine fever and of refusing to accept a regional approach to allowing exports.

Speaking at a seminar during VIV Europe in Utrecht, Netherlands, Aleksey Alekseenko from the Russian veterinary organisation Rosselkhoznador said Russia had warned the European Commission of the danger of the spread of the disease through the wild boar population before the outbreaks occurred in Poland and Lithuania.

However, he said that Europe had need taken heed of the warnings and put in place measures to prevent the possible spread.

He warned: “With 4.5 million wild boar in Europe, the disease can spread very, very quickly.”

He said that it is in the wild boar population in Russia and now it is in the wild boar population in Poland.

Mr Alekseenko said that Russia would like to be able to import pig meat from other countries within the EU that are not affected by African swine fever, such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and Spain and even Germany, but the actions of the European Commission had not allowed it.

He said that part of the problem is that the European Commission does not recognise the Customs Union – the agreement between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus – which allows them freely to export and trade pig meat.

This is why there is a discrepancy between the Customs Union trade and the European Commission over the way the two sides view trade in pig meat and pigs.

And he added that the EU had not taken sufficient precautionary measures following the outbreaks of ASF to isolate the disease, which is why Russia is refusing to take pig meat from the whole of the EU although it would take it from individual countries if the European Commission recognised real regionalisation.