Local vets have decided to cull all the livestock on the farm in Primorsk, located in the far east of Russia. It’s said more than 4,000 animals have shown signs of the disease and over 2,500 have already died.
Officials said they were culling all the animals because the disease had spread so quickly among the livestock in just one week.
Sergei Sidorenki, the region’s vice-governor, said the infected animals were initially going to be treated, but more extreme measures were needed to contain the disease. Russian officials have also said the farm will be placed under quarantine for three weeks before being disinfected. The farm can then be restocked after two months. A large scale vaccination programme will be go under way in order to attempt to try and contain the disease.
Primorsk is one of Russia’s most significant pig-producing areas, with plans for a 500,000-head pig production “cluster” unveiled earlier this year. The $1bn project, which aims to increase pork production by 80%, increase exports to Asia and increase self-sufficiency in the region, includes six pig farms, a feed mill and a genetics centre. The development also includes 7,000ha of arable land to produce more than 185,000t of soya bean and corn for animal feed.