Cherkizovo, the Russian meat processor, has confirmed an outbreak of African swine fever at a sow farm but insisted the detection of the virus will not affect this year’s production volumes.
The company said the outbreak had occurred at a farm in Russia’s Lipetsk region, which is over 400km south-east of Moscow. A “small number” of sows have been diagnosed but Cherkizovo said “the timely detection and identification of the exact location” of the virus meant all infected animals were isolated.
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The farm houses 6% of Cherkizovo’s sows. However, the group said: “Such action will not have any effect on the current year’s production volume and the company’s other pork production sites are operating under normal conditions.”
Cherkizovo said there had been “a record number” of African swine fever outbreaks in the Lipetsk region this year, which it described as “posing a significant risk for pork production facilities at both local and national levels”.It added: “Preventive measures at government level are necessary. President Vladimir Putin has ordered that an action plan be developed by the end of the month aimed at eradicating the virus.”
