African swine fever diagnosis at several Cherkizovo Group enterprises not confirmed
MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax) - The preliminary diagnosis of African swine fever (AFS) at several businesses in the OJSC Cherkizovo Group has not been confirmed, Russia's Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight Service Rosselkhoznadzor reported.
An additional analysis performed at the reference laboratory of the All-Russia Research Institute of Veterinary Virology and Microbiology did not detect AFS, the report said.
Rosselkhoznadzor previously said an outbreak of AFS was likely at some farms of the Cherkizovo Group. An inspection by the Penza regional veterinary laboratory of biological material from pigs, delivered to the Penzensky meat factory from LLC Resurs and LLC Tambovmyasoprom in the Tambov region, had allegedly revealed AFS genetic material.
According to Interfax's SPARK database, the Penzensky meat factory and Tambovmyasoprom are part of Cherkizovo Group.
On Friday, Cherkizovo Group spokesman Alexander Kostikov told Interfax that the Cherkizovo Group had referred samples of the biological material to independent laboratories. "All of them tested negative," he said.
The Cherkizovo Group has 14 pig farms producing 180,000 tonnes of pork in live weight, annually.
