Authorities in Russia's Irkutsk region have begun seizing and destroying residents' livestock following an outbreak of lumpy skin disease, with a state of emergency declared across part of the Irkutsk district and veterinary checkpoints set up at the entrances and exits of populated areas, TV Rain reported.
Infection hotspots were identified in the villages of Butyrki and Koty in the Oyoksky municipal district, the local administration said. As of September 5, eight epizootic hotspots had been detected, The Moscow Times reported, citing the administration. Regional Governor Igor Kobzev said 96 animals had been infected and would be destroyed.
Leonid Frolov, head of the Irkutsk district, met with residents and said a site for the culling operation had been chosen and fuel and equipment prepared. He attributed the likely cause of the spread to the "illegal import of small cattle."
At a gathering of residents, Ivan Lobytsin, deputy head of the regional veterinary service, announced compensation rates for the livestock: 223 rubles per kilogram for cows, 304 rubles for goats and sheep, and 190 rubles for pigs.
Residents say they were never shown test results confirming the disease, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported. According to the residents, veterinarians had pronounced the animals healthy the day before the inspection, and the cows had not left their yards or come into contact with other animals. Residents also expressed concern that the livestock is to be burned in close proximity to their homes.
Veterinary epidemiologist Svetlana Shchepyotkina called the authorities' actions unlawful. Under an Agriculture Ministry order, animals sick with lumpy skin disease are treated, not destroyed, she said, suggesting the disease may in fact be foot-and-mouth disease.