Russia blames Georgia for bringing African Swine Fever, or ASF, into southern Russia, Federal Consumer Protection Service chief Gennady Onishchenko said Monday.
"ASF came to us from Georgia. First, of course, to Ossetia, and then to the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. There are signs that this situation is artificially injected," Onishchenko was quoted as saying by Interfax. "It is economic sabotage," he added.
The Krasnodar region, near several Black Sea ports, has been unable to eliminate African Swine Fever for the past three years, Onishchenko said Monday. ASF, which was confirmed for the first time in Russia in 2007, has so far been found mainly in the south of the country. However, some outbreaks occurred in northwest regions.
(Reuters)
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