Russia Sees Increase in Pig Meat Smuggling from EU
RUSSIA - Since Russia imposed its ban on imports of pork from the EU because of the discovery of the disease in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, veterinary officials have reported more cases of attempts to smuggle meat into the country.
6 October 2014
2 minute read
By: The smugglers are using suitcases and other luggage and the veterinary offficials at Rosselkhoznador say that the attempts to cross the border are increasing the risk of the spread of African swine fever.
Last month border veterinary control points reported 30 incidents of smuggling and detained more than five tonnes of pig meat – excluding other pig meat products.
Rosselkhoznador said the increase in the number of cases had been noted and each incident was seeing hundreds of kilos of meat being smuggled across the borders from neighbouring countries.
In all cases the meat is being smuggled in vehicles that are not refrigerated and are not fit to carry food products and the pig meat does not have any veterinary certificates.
Several of the incidents are of meat being imported from Poland and Rosselkhoznador said that given that the country has had 17 outbreaks of African swine fever, there are great concerns that the pig meat being smuggled could be contaminated with the disease.
