Avian Flu Diary: Rosselkhoznador Investigation Into HPAI Contaminated Meat Distribution & Sale

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Russia's bird flu contaminated meat crisis - which we've been covering for several weeks (see here, here, and here) - continues to escalate, and appears to be going from a fiasco to a scandal.

On Friday, in Rosselkhoznador: HPAI Contaminated Poultry Shipped To At Least 9 Regions Of Russia, we learned of irregularities, including veterinary certificates certifying the tainted poultry as coming from regions without bird flu outbreaks.

HPAI contaminated poultry products have now turned up in warehouses and on grocery shelves in 9 regions of Russia; Kirov, Moscow, Rostov, Voronezh regions, the Republics of Udmurtia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Krasnodar & Primorsky Krai.

Now it appears that the Rostov Regional Veterinary Laboratory - which was charged with testing these products and overseeing the issuance of those certificates - has been drawn into the investigation by Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance.

On the actions of the Veterinary Department of the Rostov Region, which caused the spread of contaminated products to other regions of the country

May 18, 2017

© The central unit

In connection with the detection of avian influenza in Eurodon LLC and Eurodon-Yug LLC, the territorial departments of the Rosselkhoznadzor have sampled turkey meat from the Eurocond company and its processing products in order to exclude the disease.

According to the results of studies in 9 regions of the Russian Federation, positive results were obtained for avian influenza: in the Kirov, Moscow, Rostov, Voronezh regions, the Republics of Udmurtia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Krasnodar and Primorsky Krai. Detected products are subject to disposal.

During an unscheduled audit conducted by the Office of the Rosselkhoznadzor for the Rostov, Volgograd and Astrakhan oblasts and the Republic of Kalmykia, it was established that all products sent to other regions of the Russian Federation were accompanied by veterinary accompanying documents issued by institutions subordinate to the Veterinary Department of the Rostov Region that confirm the epizootic well-being of the locality Products.

The case, as well as turkey slaughter products, were studied for avian influenza in the Rostov Regional Veterinary Laboratory. The analysis carried out by this laboratory showed the absence of the virus genome in the production.
Thus, the Veterinary Laboratory, subordinated to the Veterinary Department of the Rostov Region, was unable to obtain the correct results of the research and diagnose the avian influenza, so that the veterinary accompanying documents confirming the alleged epizootic well-being of the territory, including the disease, were used for turkey meat and processed products.

Based on the results of the audit by the Office of the Rosselkhoznadzor for the Rostov, Volgograd and Astrakhan oblasts and the Republic of Kalmykia, measures will be taken to bring the perpetrators to the responsibility stipulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Meanwhile, Global Meat News is reporting, in AI-infected poultry hits grocery shelves in Russia, that the operators of the Rostov poultry facility `Eurodon' at the center of this crisis are alluding to some kind of sabotage, possibly as the result of a `hostile takeover'.

Complicating matters, while I've not seen any official confirmation, Russia media are reporting overnight of a new outbreak of bird flu in the Samara Region.

20 hours ago, Source: Pro City Samara

In the Samara region recorded outbreak of avian influenza

In the village of Krasnaya Gorka Chelny Vershinskaya district chickens cases of death were recorded. The results of the research of selected samples revealed the genome of influenza A virus, according to the press service of EMERCOM in Samara region.

At the present time on the territory of rural settlements and Red Builder Tokmakla within the boundaries Zubivka, Bezvodovki, Krasnaya Gorka, the Red Builder and Tokmakly held animal health, organizational, economic and anti-epizootic measures. According to preliminary information, the number of birds in these settlements is 6,000 heads.

Administration Chelny Vershinskaya district organized a warning and informing the public. Work on-site emergency response is controlled by employees of Ministry of Emergency Situations.

(Continue . . . )

While avian flu reports continue to dwindle in Western Europe, we've now seen reports from at least 10 regions of Russia of outbreaks in poultry over the past 30 days (see map at top of blog); Rostov, Moscow, Krasnodar, Kalmykia, Chechnya, Mari El, Tartarstan, Udmurtia, and Samara.

Some earlier blogs on these outbreaks include: