Belarusians look for African swine fever in pork, Russians – in sausage
Russians have found African swine fever in sausages produced at four Belarusian meat-packing plants.
The genome of the fever has been found in the products of Babruisk meant-packing plant this time. Orsha, Minsk and Mahilyou meat-packing plants were accused of having it earlier.
“We always check our products. 6 veterinarians check every animal. The method of revealing the genome in processed meat has been invented in Russia and our veterinarians are studying it now,” Babruisk meat-packing plant described the control.
The so-called infected sausages were produced after October 20. However, there can be no pork with AFP at plants, the Ministry of Agriculture and Nutrition assured.
“The method should be universally recognized. They have created the method of revealing the genome recently. We are contacting the Russian Agricultural Inspectorate and would like to test meat simultaneously to avoid any doubts,” the Ministry explained.
The All-Russia Veterinarian Research Institute of Virology and Microbiology calls Belarusian sausages with AFP ‘a minimal risk product’.
“There is no risk in conducting such research. It costs as much as doing a VD test,” director of the Institute Denis Kolbasov said.
The AFP genome could appear in Belarusian sausage just because there was one infected animal, Vyshaleuski Belarusian Institute for Experimental Veterinary Medicine explained:
“The virus dies in high temperature but the genome doesn’t. That is why it is possible to reveal the genome. However, neither the rules of the Customs Union nor of the Eurasian Economic Area make it legal now. The issue is being studied. There could be one infected animal.”
Thus, it was either an infected animal or meat preserved since the time of the epidemic. Officials refute that any meat has been preserved since then. Meat-packing plants are accusing the Russian scientists’ method of revealing the genome.
Belarusian laboratories are equipped with everything needed to reveal the genome, the institute added. African swine fever is dangerous for animals but does not threaten humans.
Photo: zakupka.tv
