African swine fever on the border of g. Lukhovitsy. Symptoms of the African plague

On the registration of an ASF outbreak at a large pig-breeding complex in the EU - livestock breeders are still defenseless against the threat to business

According to the official information at the disposal of the Rosselkhoznadzor from the competent services of the EU on the territory of Romania in the province of Tulcea, 77 outbreaks of ASF were registered in the population of domestic pigs in the period from June 28 to July 3 of this year.

It was noted that 75 outbreaks were registered in private household plots and two outbreaks in commercial enterprises of SC Carniprod SRL (slaughterhouse and pig farm). At the time of diagnosis, the farm contained 43,800 domestic pigs. According to the Romanian National Veterinary Sanitation and Food Safety Administration, all animals will soon be killed and destroyed. It should be noted that this is the first officially confirmed ASF outbreak in a Romanian commercial pig farm and the largest in the European Union. All this once again speaks of the vulnerability of pig farms with different levels of biosecurity to the ASF virus.

A total of 197 outbreaks of ASF in domestic pigs were identified in Tulcea province alone between June 10 and July 3, 2018, reportedly. However, according to official data in the OIE from 2017 to the beginning of July of this year, 147 foci of infection were notified in Romania (141 in domestic pigs and 6 in wild boars, Fig. 1).

picture 1.

Taking into account such a concentration of foci of infection for a short period in the border territories of Romania and, also unfavorable for ASF, the Odessa region of Ukraine (Figure 2.), it is worth talking about an emergency negative situation in the control of this disease on the part of the veterinary services of the two countries.

picture 2.

In general, the situation with this disease in the EU has an increasing trend of disadvantage and is aggravated by its manifestation in new territories (Fig. 3-4). According to open data from the Le Fleur Institute (Germany), in 2018, outbreaks of ASF were confirmed in 310 cases in domestic pigs and 3177 cases in wild boars.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Experienced Rosselkhoznadzor specialists show that such a development of an epizootic situation and a massive advance of infection in the Balkan direction is primarily associated with the presence of active uncontrolled movement of infected animals and pig products from the foci of infection, as well as the risk for ASF welfare for the countries of southern and central Europe. The Rosselkhoznadzor has repeatedly notified its European colleagues about this, who are implementing a “soft approach” in carrying out liquidation and preventive measures for ASF.

Andrey Shalygin: Information review on ASF of wild boars published by the Ministry of Natural Resources quite an interesting document that somehow systematized the data that were already well known to us, and the conclusions were voiced by Onishchenko. ASF was delivered to Russia by Georgian saboteurs, scattering parts of the carcasses from helicopters in August-September 2007.

The history of ASF in Russia began in 2007 from the territory of Georgia approximately in August-September in the direction of Chechnya through Urus-Martan and the floodplain of the Sharo-Argun River; in 2008, a wild boar was struck on the territory of Ossetia. The route of ASF entering Russia is considered to be the Armenia-Georgia-Russia direction.

On July 23, 2008, the introduction of the ASF virus into the Orenburg region was established (the village of Chernorechye, LLC Muzhichya Pavlovka). The most reliable version about the introduction of the virus from the Republic of Armenia or Georgia, in favor of which there were strong arguments (a large diaspora of Armenians who constantly traveled to Armenia, as well as the confirmed travel of citizens along the route Armenia-Georgia-Kazakhstan-RF) confirms the "spasmodic" spread of the virus with the participation of a person and the risk of carrying the virus anywhere in the Russian Federation.

The data obtained as a result of monitoring studies indicate the main role of wild pigs in the introduction of the ASF virus into the territory of the Russian Federation in 2007 and its subsequent spread in 2008-2009. (however, in the distribution in the Republic of Oseti-Alania, there is a movement of foci along the highway, which indicates a movement associated with a person).

The geographical spread of ASF among wild pigs in 2007-2009 living in the mountainous and foothill territories of the Caucasian republics of the Russian Federation, as well as the registration of several cases in one outbreak, indicate an active phase of the epizootic process of ASF among wild pigs, as well as the fact that the disease has all signs of natural focal type.

Events 2007 - July 2010 in the Southern Federal District and the North Caucasus Federal District showed that practically all cases of ASF(the cumulative number of which today for the entire period is more than 150), with the exception of one case in the Krasnodar Territory, associated with small-scale production and, first of all, with personal subsidiary plots of citizens (LPH). Thus, to the previously identified risk factor - transport arteries, another one - private household plots - is added.

The main reason for such a rapid spread of the disease is an anthropogenic factor.- violation of sanitary and veterinary measures, lack of objective accounting of livestock in personal subsidiary plots, interfarm, transport links, and most importantly - the practice of feeding animals not properly processed food waste.

In many cases, the facts of mass sale of meat and meat products of animals sick and dead from ASF were registered. Numerous facts of feeding to wild animals of feeding compound feeds infected with ASF were revealed.

Information on discharges of pig products contaminated with ASF from helicopters (based on materials from the media and the Internet)- There was no documentary evidence of discharges from helicopters of swine products contaminated with ASF, however, in a number of media there were reports on this issue. There is also information from unofficial sources about similar cases in the Volgograd, Smolensk and other regions. There are numerous eyewitness accounts of the dumping of parts of the carcasses of infected animals from helicopters that invaded the territory of Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia (the texts of the main messages are given in the document of the Ministry of Natural Resources).

Jose Sanchez Vizcaino (Professor, Head of the Department of Epizootology at the University of Madrid, Head of the National Program for the Eradication of ASF in Spain) emphasized that wild boars are not the main source of the spread of the disease, but become infected with the African swine fever virus when eating contaminated food waste and contact with sick domestic pigs ... As the spread of the disease among domestic pigs decreases, the spread of the disease among wild boars also decreases.

Dudnikov and the authors (2013), say the following: The wild boar is not the leading link in the epidemiological process in ASF in Russia, and its biological characteristics do not allow us to consider the wild boar as the main vector of the spread of the disease in the territory of the Russian Federation.

In the epidemiology of ASF, the role of the wild boar is secondary, because he can act as a source of the causative agent only through direct contact with domestic pigs, which contradicts the practice of pig breeding in Russia. The role of the wild boar as a reservoir of infection has not been proven for any of the European countries. The boar is also not an amplifier of the virus. The wild boar and the domestic pig are one species of Sus scrofa, in contrast to the African species. The boar acts as a mediator of the disease only in direct contact with domestic pigs. The risk associated with wild pig slaughter products is minimal due to their local distribution.

The biological characteristics of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) do not allow them to become carriers and distributors of the African swine fever pathogen over long distances, because ASF occurs in them in an acute form with 100% mortality 5-14 days after infection, which means that the animal cannot cover long distances. Moreover, the ecological rule: the first thing that a sick animal loses is the migratory instinct.

In other words, a wild boar is a victim, not a source of ASF spread ... A person, interfering with nature and taking measures to depopulate a wild boar, seeks to exterminate it in a given territory, and not to search for means of eliminating the disease. This can lead to the fact that from the wild boar there will be only a stuffed animal in the showcase of the museum of nature. (Ensuring the welfare of the wild boar population against African swine fever. [Visual aid / S. A. Dudnikov, A. V. Savvin, O. N. Petrova and others]. Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance. FGBI "ARRIAH" - Vladimir: IAC of the Veterinary Inspection Department, 2013).

The work of the same authors "African swine fever in the wild boar population" also says:
“Speaking about the depopulation of wild boar, it should be noted that its effectiveness as a measure to combat ASF is questionable. It was noticed that when shooting wild boars migrate en masse and this only contributes to the spread of the disease and its penetration into new territories. It is especially risky to carry out “preventive” depopulation in ASF-free regions of the Russian Federation adjacent to endemic zones. The territories freed from animals attract wild boars from neighboring regions, which, if the pathogen is present in their population, contributes to the spread of the disease. For example, depopulation in the Yaroslavl or Moscow regions is likely to provoke the migration of wild boar from the adjacent districts of the Tver region. To control the disease situation, it is much preferable to ensure that the population is located in the same territory, for example, by organizing feeding grounds. In this case, it is easy to monitor the health status of animals and control the change in their numbers. This, in turn, will allow early detection of the disease and death of animals. "

And then the Conclusions were announced:
... “The disease was introduced to the territory of the country with wild boars, and the original source of African plague in the Greater Caucasus (initially, domestic pigs were infected) was non-disinfected food waste;
... violation of veterinary legislation, untimely implementation of antiepizootic measures in the country contributed to the transition of the disease to the livestock of domestic pigs, which provoked further expansion of the disease into new territories;
... mismanagement and gross violations of veterinary and sanitary rules (including the rules for the disposal of food waste, slaughter products and corpses of dead pigs) ensured the penetration of an infectious agent into the wild fauna of the Rostov, Astrakhan, Tver, Volgograd regions and contribute to the further maintenance of trouble in the regions;
... wild boars (Sus scrofa) cannot carry and spread the pathogen, especially over long distances, because ASF occurs in them in an acute form with 100% mortality 5-14 days after infection, which does not allow the animal to travel long distances;
. the migration of wild boar is caused by extraordinary factors, such as the active shooting of animals in certain territories, as well as
... liberation of territories favorable for the existence (in case of death or shooting of its previous inhabitants);

Given Suggestions:
1) At this stage in the development of epizootics in the country, continuous systematic monitoring of the wild boar population should be carried out in order to assess the prevalence and incidence of the disease.
2) The effectiveness of wild boar depopulation as a measure to combat ASF is questionable and it is advisable to carry it out only within a 5-10-kilometer zone around the unfavorable point.
3) To control the disease situation, it is necessary to ensure that the population is located in the same territory, for example, by organizing feeding areas. In this case, you can monitor the health status of animals and control the change in their numbers. This, in turn, will allow early detection of the disease and death of animals. "

The materials considered indicate an unnatural course of the epizootic process at all stages of its movement across the Russian Federation, i.e. there is no interconnection of the occurrence of all cases of the disease through the chain transmission of the pathogen from infected animals to susceptible healthy ones.

As a consequence, it can be argued that the dynamics and territorial distribution of the course of epizootics excludes the possibility of assuming the natural spread of the ASF epizootic through the natural environment, and the wild boar population as a factor in the spread of the epizootic.

This fact is confirmed by the data on the ASF epizootic process in the northern territories, where there is no wild boar or its population is minimal. However, there is a dependence of the course of the ASF epizootic on economic activities (highways, pig farms, private farmsteads).

This statement is confirmed by the registration of primary occurrences of ASF in the subjects.
For the period 2007-2013 in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, ASF was detected primarily in agriculture in 24 cases (subjects), in the natural environment in 9 cases (subjects). Moreover, out of 9 - 3 cases of primary occurrence of ASF in the natural environment of the subject are a disease of wild boars in isolated enclosures (Appendix 4: Calendar of primary, ongoing and eliminated outbreaks of ASF among domestic pigs and wild boars).

The fixation of ASF in the subject is also not associated with infection of the natural territory. In 10 previously unsuccessful subjects with a detected disease of wild boars, outbreaks in the natural environment have been eliminated without resuming until the present day (that is, for a long period of time: 1-5 years).

And the experience of the southern regions suggests that the regulation of the number of wild boars does not always bring the desired effect - with the minimum number of wild boars in the Southern Federal District (and the absence of outbreaks in the natural environment), ASF in domestic pigs has not been eradicated there.

The main fight against ASF should be carried out through the observance of established veterinary norms and rules in animal husbandry, and not through the total extermination of wild boars.

The main reason for the spread of ASF is the uncontrolled transport of infected pig products between regions, and as a result, the emergence of new outbreaks of the disease among wild boars.

It is obvious that carrying out the so-called "depopulation" measures as an antiepizootic measure is not only ineffective, but can also aggravate the epizootic situation, contributing to the territorial expansion of the disease.

Previously, some articles on this topic:

Content:

African swine fever (ASF, East African distemper, African fever) is a highly contagious, acute viral disease. The disease is characterized by chills, fever, cyanosis of mucous membranes, skin, hemorrhagic lesions of internal organs. Despite the fact that many infectious diseases of pigs belong to the group of zooanthroposonosis, ASF does not pose a threat to human health, but at the same time, the contagious infection spreads almost at lightning speed and causes the death of the entire livestock, which causes great damage to farms. The mortality rate when pigs are infected with the African plague virus among piglets, adults is 100%.

Etiology, distribution

ASF was first diagnosed in pigs at the beginning of the 20th century in South Africa. The disease was attributed to natural focal exotic infections, which were often diagnosed in populations of cultivated and wild pigs in Africa. Later, outbreaks of the disease were noted in Portugal, countries of Central and South America, Spain, and then in other countries of the world. In the Russian Federation, the CIS countries, ASF was first diagnosed in 2008.

The causative agent of the infectious disease is a DNA-containing virus of the Asfarviridae family, genus Asfivirus. There are two types of pathogen. namely: type A, B and subspecies C. African swine fever virus is resistant to high temperatures, various environmental factors. Does not lend itself to freezing, drying, decay. Keeps virulence in environments with a pH of 2 to 13. At a temperature of 5-7 degrees, it can persist up to six to seven 6-7 years under favorable conditions. In animal carcasses - from 15 days to 188 weeks. In feces, the ASF virus persists for up to 160 days. Not resistant to high temperatures.

At 55-60 degrees, heat treatments under the influence of high temperatures, the virus is inactivated in 10-12 minutes.

The main feature of this infection is that the disease can manifest itself in various symptoms, depending on what type of virus the animal is infected with.

All age groups of domestic, wild pigs, regardless of gender, breed, are susceptible to infection with the African plague virus.

Important! It is worth noting that the ASF virus is almost impossible to completely destroy in nature. In addition, to date, no preventive vaccine against the African plague virus has been developed. There are no effective medicines that can be used to combat this ailment.

Taking into account the numerous statistical data, epizootic foci most often occur in the countries of America and Europe with ASF-unfavorable conditions in the early spring, in the beginning of spring, during the cold season.

How pigs become infected

The ASF virus enters the body of animals by aerogenic (airborne), alimentary, through damaged mucous membranes, skin, conjunctiva. Infection is possible through equipment contaminated with pathogens, household items that were used in caring for sick pigs. poor-quality compound feed .. Untreated foodstuffs fed to animals can also cause ASFV infection.

The source of the spread of a deadly infection is infected sick individuals, animals during the incubation period, and pigs that have recovered. Intermediate carriers of the disease can be called rodents, wild birds, blood-sucking insects.

Having penetrated the body of a piglet, an adult, the pathogen infects macrophages, which leads to the activation of the transcription of free genes for the response of the body. The ASF virus is localized in the endothelial cellular structures of blood and lymphatic vessels, in mononuclear phagocytes, myeloid, lymphoid tissues of the organs of the immune system.

The virus, as its amount in the body of sick animals increases, has a cytopathic effect on lymphocytes and endothelial cells. Over time, necrosis of the vascular walls develops, the porosity of the vessels increases. The reproduction of the virus is accompanied by a cytopathic effect on lymphocytes, macrophages and endothelial cells.

Due to fibrinoid necrosis of the endothelium of blood vessels, the permeability of the vessel walls sharply increases, venous and inflammatory hyperemia, thrombosis, and leukopenia appear.

In serous, on mucous membranes, skin, in parenchymal organs after dissection of animal corpses, numerous hemorrhages are noticeable. In the lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen, extensive necrosis of myeloid tissues is formed. In sick pigs, the immune potential decreases, the immune defense weakens, and the natural resistance of the body decreases. The disease is fatal in 100% of cases.

Symptoms of the African plague

The intensity of the manifestation of clinical symptoms depends on the type of virus, the number of virions in the body of animals, the general physiological state, the reaction of the immune system, and the severity of the course of the infection. The incubation period ranges from two 2 to seven 7 days.

Important! In swine fever, symptoms can vary, and in any case, ASF results in the death of the infected animals.

African swine fever can occur overly acutely, acutely, rarely - chronically. As a rule, the first symptoms appear 2-5 days after infection. If plague is diagnosed, the symptoms of fulminant disease in pigs may be subtle. Sick individuals die within 24–48 hours without any characteristic manifestations of symptoms.

Signs of African swine fever:

a sharp rise in temperature up to 41, .5–-42 degrees;
an increase in regional lymph nodes;
decreased appetite, refusal of compound feed;
paresis, paralysis of the hind limbs;
violation of digestive processes (constipation, diarrhea with blood impurities);
anemicity, cyanosis (cyanosis) of the mucous membranes;
shortness of breath, shortness of breath;
subcutaneous edema, bruising in the subcutaneous tissue;
a sharp death of animals;
pneumonia.

Sick animals look apathetic, literally weaken before our eyes. Pigs have a hard time getting to their feet. Impaired coordination of movements. even after the slightest activity, infected animals get tired quickly. On palpation of the lymph nodes, severe pain is noted. Appetite is reduced or absent altogether.

A characteristic symptom that manifests itself in pigs infected with African plague is the appearance of dark purple spots with a red tint on the inner thigh, abdomen, neck, limbs, sides, back, patch, at the base of the ears.

Atypical form of ASF

Symptoms vary with each individual infected, due to a mutation in the virus. ASF can also occur in an atypical form, in which pigs suffer from profuse diarrhea, variable fever. Bruises are noticeable on the ears, tail, limbs, patch, and on the body. Animals get weaker, lose weight, do not gain weight. The skin is covered with wrinkles, strongly compacted. Signs of conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis are clearly manifested. The infection is fatal, usually on the third day after the first symptoms appear. The mortality rate is 30-65%.

The atypical form of ASF is most often diagnosed in suckling piglets that were weaned early from the sow, in young animals that had contact with virus carriers or were infected with mildly virulent strains of the virus. At the same time, some of the piglets recover without treatment. The rest die or are life-long virus carriers. The disease can be complicated by secondary infections.

Diagnostics, treatment

The diagnosis of ASF can be made only after comprehensive diagnostics and laboratory tests. Veterinarians take into account the epizootic situation of African plague in the regions, conduct an examination of animals, and carry out differential diagnostics.

The diagnosis is also made on the basis of the results of pathological, serological studies. Blood samples are taken from pigs, fragments of internal organs (spleen, lymph nodes) are taken from corpses. The biomaterial must be examined as soon as possible in laboratories.

If pigs are diagnosed with African plague in pigs, unfortunately, no treatment methods have been developed to combat this disease. There are no effective veterinary medications, therefore, the main forces should be directed to the implementation of preventive measures. When the first symptoms appear in large farms, animals are vaccinated. This technique will help to save part of the uninfected livestock. The rest of the pigs are slaughtered.

Advice! If suspected of being infected with the African plague virus, pigs are poured into the mouth with 100-150 g of vodkit. As a rule, diseased individuals recover.

The corpses of sick animals, inventory, feed, manure are burned. Ash is mixed with lime and buried deep in the ground. In pigsties, complete complex disinfection is carried out using hot 3% sodium hydroxide solution, formaldehyde 2%. The quarantine is removed no earlier than six months later, and pig breeding can only be done after 12 months.

At a distance of 10–12 km from the unfavorable point, all pigs are killed. The meat is used for processing into canned meat.

Prevention of ASF

In order to prevent swine from becoming infected with African plague in pig farms, it is necessary to monitor the quality of feed, the state of the immune system of animals. It is regularly necessary to carry out disinfection and deratization in the premises. You can not use non-disinfected new equipment.

Feed should be purchased in regions where ASF outbreaks have not been reported. Before feeding food of animal origin, it is necessary to carry out heat treatment.

Pigs should not be allowed to come into contact with other carnivores, inhabitants of neighboring farms and farms.

Purchase new individuals only with veterinary documents. After keeping the pigs in quarantine for some time.

Slaughter of animals must be carried out in places specially designated for this purpose. At the slightest suspicion of infection with the African plague virus, the pigs are isolated and placed in a separate room. You immediately need to contact a veterinarian for a comprehensive diagnosis.

The situation with African swine fever in the Russian Federation today is as follows: according to the Rosselkhoznadzor Office for the Samara Region, as of 04.06.2018, there are 2 ASF outbreaks in the Vladimir Region in the quarantine regime among domestic pigs, 12 are in the ASF quarantine regime in the wild fauna. objects infected with ASF: 1 - in the Belgorod region and 11 - in the neighboring Saratov region.

The municipal district of Syzransky is located in a 100-km threatened zone around an open outbreak of the Saratov OOOiR of the Dukhovnitsky district of the Saratov region. The constant detection of ASF cases among wild boars indicates that the threat of a serious exacerbation of the situation with the spread of this infection both in wild fauna and among domestic pigs remains. The process of mutual re-infection is in progress. The increase in outbreaks in the summer is the result of a campaign of the population in the forest. People do not change their clothes, there is a process of infection. Domestic animals, their corpses, which are thrown away by their owners, also serve as a source of infection for wild boars, etc.

African swine fever is a particularly dangerous disease of wild and domestic pigs. The causative agent of the disease is a virus, the disease is accompanied by fever, paralysis of the limbs, septic-hemorrhagic phenomena and is transmitted not only through contact of healthy animals with sick animals, but also spreads through feed, pastures, transport in which sick animals are transported. Potential carriers of African plague are ticks, rodents; can become a source of the virus and meat products from infected pigs. There is no cure for this disease, and all livestock, where the virus enters, dies.

The most vulnerable in the event of ASF are personal, subsidiary and private farms. The main reason is the failure of animal owners to comply with the rules and regulations that are provided for by law. First of all, these are unauthorized transportation and sale of products, failure to comply with other measures, including failure to provide data on the available livestock of animals, unauthorized burial of corpses in household waste dumps or in forest belts, and, ultimately, failure to inform the veterinary service about the facts of mortality. In this regard, the veterinary service takes measures with a delay, already in fact, when the process from one farm mechanically spreads to other territories.

In order to prevent disease, experts recommend providing pigs without a range, not feeding waste (from canteens, cafes, and so on) that has not undergone heat treatment - boiling for 1 hour. Pigs must be purchased if there are accompanying veterinary documents confirming the welfare of the place of export of the pigs. Slaughter of pigs should be carried out only after a preliminary clinical examination of pigs by a veterinary specialist of the state veterinary service.

Chief Veterinarian

M.R. Syzransky and Mr. Oktyabrsk

V.A. Ryabov

The situation with African swine fever in the Russian Federation today is as follows: according to the Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for the Samara region As of 04.06.2018, there are 2 ASF outbreaks in the Vladimir region in quarantine among domestic pigs, and 12 ASF-infected objects in the wild fauna are in quarantine mode for ASF: 1 - in the Belgorod region and 11 - in the neighboring Saratov region.

The municipal district of Syzran is located in100-km endangered area around an open outbreak of the Saratov LLC & R of the Dukhovnitsky District of the Saratov Region. The constant detection of ASF cases among wild boars indicates that the threat of a serious exacerbation of the situation with the spread of this infection both in wild fauna and among domestic pigs remains. The process of mutual re-infection is in progress. The increase in outbreaks in the summer is the result of a campaign of the population in the forest. People do not change their clothes, there is a process of infection. Domestic animals, their corpses, which are thrown away by their owners, also serve as a source of infection for wild boars, etc.

Chief Veterinarian

M.R. Syzransky and Mr. Oktyabrsk

On October 5, within the framework of the business program of the exhibition "Golden Autumn - 2017", issues of ensuring epizootic well-being for especially dangerous and transboundary animal diseases were discussed. The meeting was attended by representatives of the branch ministry, scientific institutions and veterinary services of the constituent entities of the country. Of the speeches and presentations on the agenda, dedicated to the epizootic situation, prevention and diagnosis of a number of diseases, it was not possible to discuss the problems associated with the spread of African swine fever. The reason is the absence of a keynote speaker. At the end of the meeting, the correspondent of the portal "site" turned to one of the hosts of the meeting - and. O. director of the veterinary department of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia and asked Vladimir Borovoy to answer questions of concern to readers.

- Vladimir Nikolaevich, the situation with ASF in our country continues to deteriorate, despite the Action Plan to prevent the introduction of ASF into the territory of Russia, the approval of veterinary rules. Why? Are the measures taken insufficient or ineffective?

- The main reason is the failure of the animal owners to comply with the rules and regulations that are provided for by law. First of all, these are unauthorized transportation and sale of products, failure to comply with other measures, including failure to provide data on the available livestock of animals, unauthorized burial of corpses in household waste dumps or in forest belts, and, ultimately, failure to inform the veterinary service about the facts of mortality. In this regard, the veterinary service takes measures with a delay, already in fact, when the process from one farm mechanically spreads to other territories.

– What to do?

- The Ministry of Agriculture of Russia has developed a number of documents on veterinary safety, which provide for additional measures. In particular, the norms on toughening administrative liability for animal owners, regardless of the form of ownership - a personal subsidiary farm, a peasant farm or industrial enterprise.

– When can these measures be introduced?

- Currently, the documents are being coordinated with the federal executive authorities. We hope that they will be adopted by the State Duma in the autumn session.

– Do you think wild boars are to blame for the spread of ASF?

- Naturally. The process of mutual re-infection is in progress. In some cases, with the participation of wild boars. The recorded increase in outbreaks that was observed in the summer is the result of the campaign of the population in the forest. People do not change their clothes, there is a process of infection. Domestic animals, their corpses, which are thrown away by their owners, also serve as a source of infection for wild animals.

- Some regions reported on the destruction of the wild boar population by tens of percent, but this did not improve the situation ...

- We are not talking about the extermination of wild boars in any region. There are recommendations from the Ministry of Natural Resources to reduce the livestock population to a certain minimum - 0.25 individuals per thousand hectares. But in a number of cases, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, this is also an insufficient measure. More stringent measures are needed, taking into account the examples of subjects in whose territory it was the wild nature that served as the source of the introduction of the pathogen into large industrial pig breeding enterprises.

- Another no less pressing issue is the increase in the number of cases of rabies and other diseases common to humans and animals. Should we not look for the reason that the owners of the animals were allowed to transport them without the registration of veterinary documents?

- There is no direct connection. The main problem of the spread of rabies is wild carnivores, primarily foxes, which have ceased to be objects of hunting as sources of fur raw materials. The increase in the number of these animals led to the spread of rabies. Now work in the regions should be aimed, on the one hand, at reducing the number of wild animals, which account for more than 50% of all infections. On the other hand, efforts should be directed to ensuring the registration and vaccination of domestic animals, if necessary, agricultural, as well as to immunize wild carnivores. The needs of the subjects for the necessary drugs will be fully satisfied by the Ministry of Agriculture.