Imports of products and fodder of animal origin from the neighboring country would be suspended temporarily, Jonas Milius, the head of the Lithuanian State Food and Veterinary Service, said.
The situation was very dangerous, he said after a meeting with Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius on Wednesday.
“We discussed a wide range of measures, in particular relating to the customs, so as to prevent any shipments of foods, in particular sausages and products of animal origin. We spoke about the necessity to check all passengers, including those traveling by rail and by car. Also, we spoke about measures to prevent imports of feed… needless to say, imports of animals will be prohibited,” Milius told reporters.
Lithuania was notified officially about the outbreak on Friday, he said adding that the competent authorities were currently coordinating the measures with the European Commission (EC), Latvia, and Poland. The outbreak was reported in the Grodno region at a small pig farm. One pig initially caught the disease, but the veterinary officers culled the entire herd of 16 pigs to prevent the disease from spreading.
Border check-points used by frontier residents were a particular source of concern, Milius said adding that Butkevičius had promised to call the Emergency Commission to discuss this issue on Wednesday or Thursday.
There were no vaccines against African swine fever available, he said adding that it could spread with food and could also be transmitted by ticks.
