Pig disease outbreak in Lithuanian farm complex first in Europe

MOSCOW, July 24 (Itar-Tass) - The outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in the Idavang farm in Lithuania is the first case in a farm complex in Europe, an aide of the head of the Russian federal veterinary and phytosanitary control service, Alexei Alexeyenko, has told Itar-Tass. Before the outbreak, ASF cases were reported from private farms, he said. The Lithuanian state food and veterinary control service launched an investigation to establish how ASF virus had appeared in the farm. The main version was a human factor. The European Union veterinary service and the World Organization for Animal Health had not made any statement in this connection, he added. Alexeyenko told Itar-Tass earlier that the Russian veterinary service planned to inform the WTO group of arbitrators about the case. The group was formed in the World Trade Organization on July 22, 2014 to consider the EU suit against Russia over the ban on pork supplies. The ASF outbreak was reported in the Idavang complex on Thursday, July 24. The Lithuanian veterinary service intended to eliminate 20,000 pigs from the farm. Idavang is one of Lithuania's largest pig farms. The company belongs to the Danish holding Idavang A/S. Russia since April 7, 2014, has banned imports of all meat products from Lithuania in connection with the ASF epidemic. African swine fever is not dangerous for humans, but very dangerous for wild and domestic pigs. The disease rapidly spreads among animals and causes serious damage to agriculture and economy on the whole.