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Saturday 24 August 2013

Belarus President against disregarding people’s interests in fighting swine fever


This comes as a great surprise. 

It would be rewarding to think that Belarus has learned from the disgraceful performance of Britain’s corrupt bullying government veterinarians in handling similar outbreaks. 

The current British performance, and that of their cronies, still leaves much to be reformed.

Britain’s government ignores complaints and allows witnesses to its Parliament to be harassed.

Belarus’ President, in similar circumstances, issues a public warning to his veterinarians to behave. A former USSR republic’s president comes out for freedom and the rights of smallholders to raise animals. Sensible fellow!



Belarus President against disregarding people’s interests in fighting swine fever

22.08.2013 13:39
MINSK, 22 August (BelTA) – Civil servants must not fail to pay attention to people while fighting African swine fever. All kinds of aid to the population must be provided. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko made the statement at the government session held on 22 August to discuss the epidemic situation in the pig breeding industry and measures to fight the viral swine disease, BelTA has learned.

“I am not so concerned about the disease containment process as I am concerned about the response of the nation to the measures taken by government agencies and veterinary services. I am getting more and more signals, the Belarus President Administration is seeing an increasing number of appeals from people regarding this matter. In essence we sometimes pay little attention or treat people rudely. While trying to accomplish a holy mission of fighting the disease, we breed another problem – negative attitudes of Belarusians to our actions, actions of veterinary services. I must warn you that it is inadmissible,” said the President.

“I would like to see no complaints from the people starting next week,” warned the president. “Your excuses claiming that you are doing the right thing, you are good guys while people are bad will not be accepted!”

“Straighten things out with every individual. I don’t think there are many Belarusians, who have nothing better to do than sending requests for the President to do something. Therefore, from now on we have to agree that we don’t need any complaints from people! Treat people humanly while fighting the disease,” Alexander Lukashenko told those present.

The head of state pointed out that African swine fever represents no danger for human health. He regretted that for now no effective measures have been worked out in the world to fight the disease, there are no vaccines and the only way out is localizing the outbreaks and slaughtering diseased animals for the sake of stopping the spread of the disease.

“The reasons behind our having to eradicate the disease are the violation of basic sanitary norms, quarantine regulations in farms and private households. It can lead to the expansion of the epidemic area, serious damage to the pig breeding industry and the national economy as a whole,” said the President. He stressed that economy is the key problem. “We cannot allow the spread of the disease and deaths of swine in private households, farms or major pig-breeding complexes. We have already lost more than one billion rubles,” noted the head of state.

The development of the pig breeding industry is of special importance for Belarus. There are powerful pig-breeding facilities in all the regions. Their merchandise is sold on the home market and abroad.

Alexander Lukashenko remarked that strict measures are taken by major pig-breeding complexes and no resurgence of the disease has been registered. The President was most concerned about small farms and private households. According to Alexander Lukashenko, in 97 out of 100 cases cattle caught the disease in private households, therefore it is necessary to do everything to prevent the disease from spreading onto major pig-breeding complexes.

“We cannot allow the loss of the pig breeding industry. It is also important that pigs are bred in nearly every rural home for proprietary consumption and for selling on the market, thus replenishing food resources of the country,” said the head of state. He noted that private households have over 20% of the total number of pigs in Belarus. “Therefore, we should render substantial aid to the population in fighting the disease,” stressed the President.