Russia's Krasnodar region restricts movement of live pigs over swine fever

[December 02, 2016]  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's southern Krasnodar region has imposed restrictions on the movement of live pigs, setting up police checkpoints in a bid to stop the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF), the regional agriculture ministry said on Friday.

There were 10 outbreaks of ASF, a highly contagious fever among pigs, in Krasnodar last month, according to Russia's agriculture safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor which proposed on Thursday to quarantine the entire region.

Analysts have said a quarantine in the region, which is a major grain exporter via its Black Sea ports, could limit the transportation of grain due to concerns the fever could be transmitted via animal feed.

The Krasnodar ministry said, however, that the latest safety measures had not affected the movement of grain in the region.

The measures include a ban on the sale of pork produced by small farms at farmers' markets and the strengthening overall veterinary surveillance in the region.

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Writing by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by David Clarke and David Holmes)

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