Azerbaijan, Baku, 26 August / Trend corr. S.Babayeva / The issue regarding to resume pig-breeding in the Nij village in Gabala region, where a quarantine was placed due to revealed African swine fever in January, will be considered in spring 2009.
"Azerbaijani State Veterinary Service in the Agriculture Ministry will consider the issue whether to restore the activity of pig-breeding for security purposes," Yolchu Khanvali, the press-secretary of State Veterinary Service said on 26 August.
The State Veterinary Service at the Azerbaijani Agricultural Ministry placed Nij village under quarantine on 28 January due to the African swine fever virus, reported for the first time in Azerbaijan. The quarantine was cancelled on 28 March. As a result 4,863 pigs were destroyed.
Residents were granted with compensation for mass destruction of pigs in the sum of AZN 1.266mln.
The African swine fever (ASF) is an expanding devastating viral disease currently threatening the pig industry worldwide. The virus is an icosahedral cytoplasmic deoxyribovirus (ICDV) of the Asfarviridae family. It is an arbovirus (transmitted by ticks) and is the only arbovirus that contains DNA. Wild pigs of Africa, mainly the warthog and bushpig, are the original vertebrate hosts of ASF. Domestic pigs are infected by ticks (Ornithodoros moubata) or by direct contact with wild pigs. Transstadial and transovarian infections occur in ticks. Recently, ASF caused high morbidity and mortality in domestic pigs in Nigeria and other West African countries previously known to be free of the disease. No protective vaccination has been discovered; hence, a slaughter policy with adequate compensation, strict quarantine of pigs and their products at borders are necessary to stop the current outbreaks of ASF in Africa, particularly in West Africa.
Pig-breeding is developed in Gabala, Zagatala, Shaki, Balakan and Ganja regions and districts of Baku.
According to Khanvali, the Azerbaijani Government has introduced a ban on meat product import from the North Ossetia, where the African swine fever was revealed.
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