Russia - Government to Ban Pigs on Private Farms

It seems a long time ago when the west fought Communism to protect individual liberty.

We were right when we started to campaign in Britain to preserve the rights of people to produce their own food. Someone had to put up a fight against an incompetent, devious and sometimes criminal veterinary regime in Britain and elsewhere.

It is a campaign that has taken us through many troubles, smears, attempted intimidation and to unexpected places.

So the State Farm is coming back in Russia as the only pig keeper: this time owned by shadowy international businesses operating from behind razor wire in tax havens and offering poor employment to the sons and daughters of once independent farmers. 

Big government takes charge in cooperation with big business.

"Blame someone else, preferably innocent" backed by massive PR campaigns has become the standard  government and veterinary response to the continuing crises in livestock farming. 

The basic freedoms and decency, our forefathers fought for, are the victims. The animals die: their diseases and antibiotic resistance seep into the hospitals.

Find the full report from the Moscow Times here

Government to Ban Pigs on Private Farms

23 July 2013 | Issue 5174 (edited)

The Moscow Times

Almost 4.5 million pigs that are now kept on private farms might soon lose their owners as the government attempts to fight an outbreak of African swine fever that is sweeping across the country.

Fifty-five cases of the deadly virus have been reported as of mid-July, Prime Minister said at a Monday meeting with deputy prime ministers...

...His deputy proposed a set of measures to address this situation, including federal enforcement of quarantine, putting biological waste disposal sites in order, implementing a system for tracking the movement of livestock and animal products within the country, and instituting a ban on pig breeding for all organizations that fail to comply with biological control requirements.

Recognizing that taking pigs away from small private farms could be "a sensitive issue," (he)  said replacements should be provided for those whose livelihood might be damaged as a result.

Russia's swine breeding industry has made strides in recent years, with the country now considering exporting pork...

...But this is due to the increasing number of major enterprises that have entered the business and not to small private farms, which are gradually declining in importance.