Our neighbours should realize we are not hiding anything, Miasnikovich is quoted saying

The directive requires government agencies to follow all orders given by a government team set up to take emergency measures to fight outbreaks of animal infections, said Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Rusy. 

The directive banned companies and sole entrepreneurs from selling animal feeds to consumers without permission from the state veterinary service, and introduced a ban on animal feed imports from areas where outbreaks of African swine fever have been reported. 

Under the directive, households may not keep a hog in a locality within six months after the discovery of a case of the disease there. The directive prohibited employees of hog complexes from owning hogs. 

Prime Minister Mikhail Miasnikovich emphasized the need for authorities to raise the public's awareness of the problem and justify precautions against the disease. 

"We should also devise a procedure of informing [other countries] and joint actions with international organizations," he was quoted as saying. "If tragedy struck, our neighbours, fellow member states of the Customs Union, European Union countries should realize that there's no double game, that all decisions made are to be obeyed, and that we are not hiding anything because we are aware of the severity of the disease." 

Miasnikovich stressed that the government treated the distribution of compensation to owners required to slaughter their hogs as a priority. 

The prime minister suggested that banks exempt farms hit by African swine fever from repaying loans for two years. He also called for low-interest loans to help such farms recover and restore their hog numbers. 

In addition, Miasnikovich warned that all standards should be met during the construction of animal burial grounds.

As it was earlier reported by EuroBelarus Information Service, recently the Ministry of Agriculture of Belarus had to admit that they detected African swine fever in Hrodna region. By August, it had spread to other regions of Belarus. This highly contagious disease causes up to a 100% mortality of livestock. The Belarusian government had to take unprecedented measures to fight the outbreak such as killing livestock on large pig farms as well as in private households, causing popular discontent.  Neighbouring countries have banned meat imports from Belarus and introduced disinfection procedures on the border.