1500 farmers want ASF compensation
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
03.06.2014 12:18
Close to 1500 pig farmers in eastern Poland have applied for compensation as a result of losses incurred by the outbreak of African Swine Fever.
Photo: Glowimages
Farmers were obliged to submit their applications to the state-run Agricultural Market Agency (ARR) by 30 May, detailing quantities of pigs that went unsold.
The virus was first detected in Poland in February, when a dead wild boar close to the Belarusian border tested positive.
Poland created a buffer zone covering a large stretch of its eastern border in a bid to contain the virus. Cases were also found in Lithuania, and Vilnius took similar measures.
About 400,000 pigs were held in the Polish buffer zone.
After Russia placed an embargo on imports of EU pork products in February, several other countries, including Ukraine, China and Japan, blocked Polish pork, although Ukraine is due to lift the ban this week.
The ARR has pledged to compensate Polish farmers by the end of August.
Last week, another case of ASF was discovered in a dead wild boar on the Polish-Belarusian border, although Minister of Agriculture Marek Sawicki played down the disvcovery, claiming that “there is no danger that the virus escapes” to herds elsewhere in Poland. (nh)
Source: PAP