Over the past year 38 ASF-troubled places were found in Ukraine. Backyard farms are prevalent in number of outbreaks (6 — wild boars, 31 — backyard animals). During 2015 several oblasts reported about cases of ASF: Chernigiv — 13 cases, Sumy and Kyiv — 6 cases, Mykolaiv — 4 cases, Rivne, Odesa, and Poltava — 2 cases, Zhytomyr and Cherkasy — 1 case each. The quarantine measures are still being kept in 14 ASF-unfortunate points in Kyiv, Chernigiv, Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Cherkasy oblasts.

«The primary registered episode of ASF virus circulation among the wild boars population in the north of the country has led to the formation of ASF-enzootic area in backyard farms in Chernigiv oblast as well as in bordering regions with further disease spread to the commercial pig sector.

At the end of 2015 ASF spread in direction of Odesa and Mykolaiv oblast. Further registration of secondary outbreaks proved that sector of extensive pig farming is the main environ of virus transmission in Ukraine,» — comment FAO’s experts.

The situation with ASF-cases in Chernigiv oblast calls special anxiety. The disease was first diagnosed here in August 2014 (in backyard farms as well as among wild boars). In 2015 (June-July) the recurrent series of outbreaks happened in this region — 5 cases in backyard farms. Till the end of the year ASF was registered in Chernigiv oblast. In fact it means there is an area of ASF enzootic circulation in the sector of backyard farms in this region and Kyiv, Sumy and Poltava oblasts with tendency to the permanent diffuse expansion.

Accumulation (storage) of ASF-contaminated products and their distribution through legal and illegal ways by population is the biggest danger.

Threats of further spread

There are several dangers for Ukrainian pig farming sector:

• Diffuse expansion of ASF on backyard farms. If it happens, the single zone of mixed circulation of disease can form among wild and domestic pigs in the north of the Left bank. The dynamics of this process is usually seasonal and the most intensive disease spread happens in summer. In 2016 this scenario can actualize in Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Vinnytsa oblast.

• Step-like spread of ASF outside the quarantine zone. It’s usually related to the illegal export of infected animals from commercial farms or products of necessary slaughter to the other territories.

• Diffuse expansion of ASF in wild boar population in Polissia region with potential gradual local invasion of disease to backyard farms and formation of mixed (domestic-wild-domestic pigs) persistence cycle of ASF.

You can find complete information about ASF-spread in Ukraine, risks, threats and forecasts of international experts on pages of the latest magazine «Profitable Pig Production» (№ 6 (30), December 2015).