Over 10,000 slaughtered at farm in central district of Moldova, following swine fever outbreak

Over 10,000 pigs have been slaughtered at a farm in the village of Roscani, central Anenii Noi district, following a swine fever outbreak. The farm owners report losses exceeding 440 million lei.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Ludmila Catlabuga, the head of the national Food Safety Agency (ANSA), Radu Musteata, and the head of the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, Ion Bulmaga, visited Roscani today.

The officials informed that the slaughtered animals will be deposited in a specially arranged pit. They also urged citizens to be responsible and report to authorities, if they notice sick animals or wild boar carcasses.

Agriculture Minister Ludmila Catlabuga urged the residents to stay calm, noting that competent structures were working to reduce the impact of swine fever on the livestock sector.

The leadership of ANSA and the Environmental Protection Inspectorate announced that the Anenii Noi district's Emergency Situations Commission had urgently convened earlier this week. The commission approved a string of measures, in order to quickly eradicate the outbreak in Roscani and prevent the disease from spreading beyond it.

The director of the Roscani-based farm, Ecaterina Perebinos, said that the fever had affected all farm buildings.

“The first symptoms appeared in a sow hall on March 15. Samples were taken then and the hall was immediately isolated. Unfortunately, shortly after, we noticed clinical signs in other halls. We have 14 production buildings and all have outbreaks. Our financial losses exceed 440 million lei, which has caused a real disaster for the company. We supplied over 23 per cent of the country's meat market,” Perebinos said.

The National Food Safety Agency on March 17 informed about the detection of a swine fever outbreak in Roscani. Subsequently, another outbreak was confirmed at a commercial pig farm in Cimiseni.

Throughout March, nine swine fever outbreaks were recorded in Moldova: one in Ghidighici, Chisinau municipality; four in Chetrosu, Bulboaca, Roscani and Telita, Anenii Noi district; two in Copceac, Ceadar-Lunga district; one at a pig farm in Anenii Noi district; one at a pig farm in Criuleni district.

In total, 31 African swine fever outbreaks have been identified since the beginning of this year, of which 19 have been successfully eradicated.