Russian controllers found out how the ASF could get to China

Thus, the service analyzed the interim results of the epidemiological investigation submitted by Chinese scientists, as well as materials of molecular genetics and phylogenetic analysis of the ASF virus isolates isolated in the first two outbreaks of infection.

As a result, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision came to the conclusion that there are two possible versions of the ways of ASF spreading to China. The first and most probable is that virus spread from one of the EU countries. It is based on the fact that agricultural trade between China and the EU is very developed, including pig production.

Referring to these Eurostat services, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision reported that the products of pig production to China in 2017 were supplied by Poland and Romania, where the ASF was widely spread. In the first half of 2018 Romania continued to export these products to China. Hungary, where the first outbreak of ASF was registered in April, also imported pig products to the Chinese market.

The second, less likely, but theoretically possible version of the drift of ASF, is the spread of the virus through the population of wild pigs from the countries of Transcaucasia.

To determine the most probable path of drifting ASF to China, experts of the Federal Center for Animal Health of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision subordinated to the Federal Republic of China recommend that the Chinese side conduct additional research. After receiving new data, it will be possible to draw conclusions about the related affiliation between the ASF virus isolates from China and other countries.

It bears reminding that this year for the first time ASF was recorded in China.

In Ukraine, however, the ASF has not ceased for five years to a number. Last year, on the territory of our state, about 170 outbreaks of the disease were registered, this year is about a hundred.

Losses borne by Ukrainian farmers due to the spread of the virus are estimated in billions of hryvnia.

Farmer public organizations accuse the authorities of inaction.

"The state does not conduct effective work on the depopulation of wild pigs, as, for example, it is done with our neighbors - Estonia or Latvia ... Once again, I appeal to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy to switch from words to deeds. In this situation, it is necessary to react as quickly as possible and implement the state strategy of overcoming ASF in Ukraine in the shortest time," the head of the Ukrainian Stock Breeders of Ukraine Iryna Palamar commented on this issue.