In Russia's Irkutsk Region, livestock is being seized and destroyed on a massive scale
In Russia’s Irkutsk Region, a state of emergency has been declared, and authorities have begun the mass seizure and forced slaughter of livestock belonging to local farmers. Authorities cite an outbreak of nodular dermatitis detected in the villages of Butyrki and Koty as the reason for their actions.
According to the local administration, as of September 5, eight epizootic outbreaks and at least 96 infected animals had been identified in the region following the illegal import of small ruminants.
Officials urged villagers not to obstruct the removal of cows, goats, sheep, and pigs, noting that preparations—including equipment and combustible materials—for the culling of the animals have already been completed. Local residents are expressing outrage over the amount of compensation offered, which amounts to 223 rubles per kilogram of beef, 304 rubles per kilogram of goat and sheep meat, and 190 rubles per kilogram of pork.
According to media reports, this culling is taking place “according to a scheme tested in Siberia,” where similar measures affected thousands of farmers in many regions of the Russian Federation earlier this year. At that time, 90,500 head of livestock were culled in the Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Tomsk regions, as well as in Khakassia, Kalmykia, and other regions, resulting in losses of more than 1.9 billion rubles. Despite official statements from the authorities regarding dermatitis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and sources within agricultural holdings noted that the real cause could have been an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
Source: sibirnews.
Siberian farmers lost approximately $20 million due to the mass culling of cows. Analysts estimate that up to 90,000 animals have been culled in villages since February.
It is worth noting that the actual poverty rate in Russia may be significantly higher than official figures and could be approaching 40% of the population.
