Ukraine faces the threat of foot-and-mouth disease spreading from Russia to border and frontline regions
Ukraine faces an increased risk of foot-and-mouth disease being introduced from Russian territory, despite the aggressor’s official denials regarding an outbreak of this dangerous disease.
According to the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, large-scale culling of livestock has been recorded in a number of Russian regions, particularly in Siberia. The nature of these measures corresponds to response protocols specifically for foot-and-mouth disease, rather than rabies or pasteurellosis, which Russian official agencies are attempting to cite as explanations for the situation.
As a member of the World Trade Organization, Russia is obligated to inform the international community of confirmed cases of the disease, yet it is currently concealing the true state of affairs. Ukraine currently retains its status as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, which is critically important for stable agricultural exports. Due to military operations, veterinary oversight in frontline zones is complicated, creating additional threats to Ukrainian livestock farming.
The State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection has already stepped up controls in areas bordering Russia and the front line. Foot-and-mouth disease is one of the most dangerous viral diseases affecting cloven-hoofed animals, capable of spreading rapidly and causing devastating economic losses to the sector. Citizens and farmers are urged to remain vigilant, as the Russian Federation’s concealment of disease outbreaks could lead to an uncontrolled outbreak in neighboring territories.
As a reminder, in villages in the Novosibirsk region of the Russian Federation, local residents are convinced that the mass culling of their livestock is a planned act of sabotage.
Russian authorities have destroyed nearly $20 million worth of livestock belonging to Siberian farmers.
The last farming family in the village of Kozikha in the Novosibirsk region, which had long resisted local authorities, agreed to hand over their livestock for destruction.
