EU urges Russia to reconsider evidence in pig import ban

The European Union (EU) on Friday called on Russian authorities to take into account all the evidence before banning pig imports from EU member states. EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg said the bloc had acted quickly to contain the spread of infection after two cases of African swine fever were detected in wild boar in Lithuania on Friday. "Interim protective measures have been swiftly adopted by the Commission to regionalize the infected area within Lithuania," he said. After investigations by the World Organization for Animal Health, Borg said the virus in Lithuania originated from neighboring non-EU countries where the disease was not contained. Russian authorities were given assurances on the effectiveness of EU measures and provided with evidence indicating that the disease was confined to the southern part of Lithuania. "I called again upon the Russian authorities to take into account all the evidence presented to them, including the results of on-the-spot inspections. I will today resubmit our proposal on regionalization," Borg added. Russia banned pork imports from EU member states last week after the African swine fever virus infections were reported. "The Commission reiterates that in view of the reassurances provided, such a ban is disproportionate. I intend to meet the Russian authorities as soon as possible to agree on a reasonable solution to solve this problem," Borg said.