Agriculture, Baltic Export, Estonia, Legislation, Markets and Companies

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 23:39

Ministry: export ban on pork not planned now in Estonia

BC, Tallinn, 14.09.2014.Print version
African swine plague has been officially registered in Estonia in two wild boars and although the state has tightened control on pig farms, especially in South-Estonia, no ban on pig exports is currently planned, LETA/Public Broadcasting reports.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Toomas Kevvai told public radio news that the Estonian state does not intend to ban the export of live animals in the current situation, and European Union member states cannot do it at their own initiative either.

 

"At the moment, the situation in Estonia is certainly not such that we should consider banning exporting live pig exports or transporting to them to other member states," said the Undersecretary.

 

Kevvai said other states do not implement nationwide bans either. Rather, a system of danger zones is used and taking live animals for slaughter is the last resort.

 

For safety reasons, three zones of restrictions are imposed. In Estonia, the first or the blue zone is valid, which has very mild restrictions. Killing sick home pigs and destruction of the meat instead of processing it to food would take place only in the green zone with the toughest restrictions.

 

Two dead wild boars have been officially diagnosed with African swine plague in Estonia so far. Director General of the Food and Veterinary Board Ago Pärtel said that on Thursday, hunters found three more dead boars in the Viljandimaa county and it is highly likely that they are piglets of one of the boars found from the same area and also diseased.






Search site