RF "Rosselkhoznadzor": Georgia throws carcasses of infected pigs into the river

The Russian Committee for Agricultural Supervision ("Rosselkhoznadzor") has addressed the International Epizootic Bureau in connection with a message of the Veterinary Service of Abkhazia about detection in River Kodor of carcasses of pigs that perished from African swine fever. This is the topic of the Committee's press release. "According to the Veterinary Service of Abkhazia and UN representatives in Abkhazia, carcasses of pigs were detected in River Kodor floating down from the upstream districts of Georgia," the "Rosselkhoznadzor" reports.

The press release also states that laboratory tests conducted at the All-Russian Research Institute of Veterinary Virology and Microbiology on the pathological material sampled from the dead animals have revealed genetic material of the African swine fever virus.

In the opinion of the Committee, this way of "disposing" carcasses of dead animals creates a threat, which is comparable by its implications with methods of biological terrorism.

The "Caucasian Knot" has already reported that the African swine fever epidemic that burst out in Georgia in the middle of May has already killed about 21,000 swine heads. It was also reported that US and "Rosselkhoznadzor" experts would help Georgia in fighting a further spread of African swine fever.

However, this information is rejected by the "Georgia Online" Portal, which reports that no symptoms of African swine fever have been detected in the Kodor Gorge, in the territory controlled by Georgian authorities. The Portal writes that in Abkhazia recently swine fever has acquired a threatening scale:

"We have repeatedly informed about facts of African swine fever in domestic animals in Abkhazia, to which refutations of the Abkhazian party every time followed, caused by the desire to cordon their tourist and resort season from any unfavourable information."

We remind you that in Georgia the African fever had burst out much earlier, however, as of today, no virus traces have been noticed. Moreover, the authorities of Georgia have officially permitted to cell pork in Adzharia and Samtskhe-Dzavakhetia. In other regions, sale of pork is still banned because of too little time that has expired after application of sanitary measures.