EU experts to visit Ukraine to assess aid for ASF fight

A delegation of experts from the European Union (EU) will visit Ukraine in August to assess the need for technical and financial assistance in the fight against an extremely dangerous viral disease in animals – African swine fever (ASF) – which is threatening the pig industry in Ukraine and in some European countries.
”In early August, EU experts are to arrive to evaluate the need for aid in the fight against ASF. [It includes] diagnostic agents, equipment and also financial assistance for the implementation of programs to reduce the risks for wild animals, similar to those in the pipeline in Europe,” Head of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection Volodymyr Lapa posted on Facebook.
He also noted that the existing system of control of the hunting sector in Ukraine does not encourage hunters to assist in combating ASF, which is also spread by wild boars. ”We discussed the fight against ASF with colleagues from the State Agency of Forest Resources and with Lithuanian experts. They say that money is paid for slaughtered or dead wild boars. According to our practice, the hunting quota is reduced for each wild boar found dead. No one will report it,” Lapa wrote.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the last case of ASF occurred in the town of Shostka in Sumy region on July 15. The town set up round-the-clock posts to monitor the movement of animals and the transportation of animal-made products. A butcher in the market is temporarily closed.
In addition to the mentioned case, 14 ASF outbreaks have been registered in Ukraine since the beginning of 2016. As of July 18, there were five exposed regions in Ukraine: Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, and Chernivtsi.
In 2015, Ukraine reported 40 ASF cases, including five in the wild.

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