Baltic, Polish top veterinary officials call for compliance with EU rules

TALLINN - In a joint statement, the heads of the veterinary services of the Baltic states and Poland call for compliance with the rules established in the European Union and emphasize that all animals on a farm where African swine fever is detected must be culled to stop the spread of the disease.

In the event of a particularly dangerous animal diseases such as African swine fever, countries have the same principles for disease response and eradication. All member states are obliged to respond to disease situations on the basis of and in accordance with the same directly applicable EU legislation, the chiefs of the veterinary services say.

"All animals on a farm where infection is detected must be culled to stop the spread of the disease. Confirming the presence of a disease is not based on the number of infected animals, but on proof of the presence of the virus on a specific farm. Adherence to the agreed standards of evidence- and risk-based disease prevention, outbreak response, and containment provides reassurance to the country's trading partners, both within and outside the European Union, and shapes the country's reputation," the statement, signed by Maris Balodis, the chief veterinary officer of Latvia, Vaidotas Kiudulas, the chief veterinary officer of Lithuania, Krzysztof Jażdżewski, the chief veterinary officer of Poland, and Olev Kalda, the chief veterinary officer of Estonia, reads.

"Doing the opposite, on the other hand, diminishes this reputation or destroys it entirely. In addition, the inappropriate eradication practices of one EU market participant -- a member state -- can jeopardize the credibility of EU trade as a whole. Non-compliance is not tolerated by the EU and may result in safeguard measures being taken by the European Commission. The European Commission expects all member states to act decisively and swiftly to contain the spread of the disease," it adds.