For 9 months of 2020, vaccination plan in Kazakhstan fulfilled by 100% — Ministry of Agriculture

At a government session chaired by Prime Minister Askar Mamin, issues of veterinary and phytosanitary safety were considered. Minister of Agriculture Saparkhan Omarov reported on the current situation in this direction.

According to the minister, veterinary and phytosanitary safety is ensured by two committees of the Ministry of Agriculture. The main tasks of the veterinary service are to ensure veterinary and sanitary welfare, protect public health from diseases common to animals and humans, protect the territory from the introduction and spread of infectious and exotic diseases, ensure the safety of products and raw materials of animal origin.

Since the beginning of this year, the norms adopted at the legislative level have been implemented. In particular, a vertical of veterinary control was created on the principle of "center-region-district", as well as a vertical of the veterinary service of akimats on the principle of "region-district-village". Uniform requirements for regionalization, zoning and compartmentalization have been established, constant veterinary control is carried out along the entire perimeter of the state border, financing of inspections of enterprises at the expense of the budget, which allows access to the export of Kazakhstani products.

So, in order to ensure veterinary safety, veterinary measures are carried out, which include planned preventive measures for vaccination and diagnostics. In just 9 months of this year 122.2 million procedures were carried out to vaccinate against especially dangerous diseases of animals and birds, or 100.9% of the plan for 9 months. Moreover, 60% of veterinary drugs are of domestic production.

"The list of especially dangerous animal diseases that pose a high risk of spreading on the territory of our republic includes 68 types of diseases, of which Kazakhstan has a favorable epizootic situation for 45 types, special veterinary preventive measures for diagnosis and vaccination are carried out for 23 types," informed Omarov.

This year, compared to the same period last year, there has been a decrease in outbreaks for a number of especially dangerous animal diseases. The epizootic situation with anthrax and Newcastle disease remains good. Also, compared with 2019, there is a decrease in unsuccessful foci for brucellosis by 16 points. Of these, 93 unfavorable points have been rehabilitated and restrictions have been lifted, and veterinary and recreational activities continue in 59 points.

At the same time, compared to the same period last year, there is an increase in the outbreaks of especially dangerous animal diseases on the territory of the republic due to rabies, and bird flu has also been registered for which the republic has been safe since 2005.

On epizootic situation of avian influenza in the country

In the period from Sep. 22 to Oct. 19, 2020, deaths among birds were recorded, including suspected or confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 7 regions. On personal farmsteads, 26.5 thousand heads of birds died, at 3 poultry farms 847.4 thousand heads. Thus, 873.9 thousand heads died from the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which is 1.9% of the total number of birds.

According to Omarov, since the beginning of the death of birds, the Operational Headquarters has been established under the ministry and the regions, the meetings of the headquarters are held on a daily basis.

"In each focus of infection, quarantine was imposed and a ban was introduced on the import and export of birds and poultry products, measures are being taken to localize and eliminate the focus of infection with the destruction and disinfection," the minister said.

An additional 4.4 million doses of avian influenza vaccine were allocated from the republican stock of veterinary drugs for the compulsory vaccination of poultry along the route of wild birds to create a buffer zone.

“Today, mortality has been stopped in private farmsteads in all seven regions, at 3 poultry farms, the mortality of birds is decreasing, work is underway to destroy sick birds and reimburse their owners. The epizootic situation is under constant control of the Ministry of Agriculture and regional akimats,” the head of the department assured.

Last year, 28 veterinary and phytosanitary control points were organized in the Kazakh-Russian section and 4 in the Kazakh-Kyrgyz section. This measure prevents the import of animal and plant products that are unsafe in veterinary and sanitary, phytosanitary, quarantine terms.

“Since the beginning of 2020, 17 thousand vehicles with a total volume of 171 thousand tons of livestock products have been checked. In general, for violation of legislation in the field of veterinary medicine, administrative penalties were imposed on 2.4 thousand individuals and legal entities in the form of a fine totaling 86.2 million tenge,” Omarov said.

Today Kazakhstan has official welfare status for foot and mouth disease, African horse and swine fever, and classical swine fever. Also, work is underway to obtain statuses for plague of small ruminants and mad cow disease.

As the minister noted, this made it possible to additionally open markets for the sale of livestock products. So, veterinary and sanitary requirements have been agreed with the PRC for 20 types of products, with Iran for 6 types of products, with the Gulf countries for 6 types.

In total, 2,728 Kazakhstani manufacturers are included in the foreign Registers of enterprises, including 250 enterprises in the Registers of third countries and 2,478 enterprises in the Register of the EAEU. The range of exported products has been expanded from 480 to 551 product groups and the list of countries importing Kazakhstani products has been increased from 65 to 72 states.

On phytosanitary and plant quarantine measures

In 2020, protective measures were taken against especially dangerous pests of crops and quarantine objects on an area of ​​3.8 million hectares, including against gregarious locust pests — 514.9 thousand hectares. Timely measures taken made it possible to reduce the distribution area of ​​locusts by 3.3 times.

As the minister informed, hotbeds of the spread of quarantine weeds on the territory of the republic of the prickly nightshade have been eliminated, the areas of distribution of the American white butterfly, Californian scale insect, and creeping bitterness have been reduced.

Today, quarantine phytosanitary control over imported products is carried out along the entire perimeter of the state border.

"For 9 months of 2020, during the import of regulated products in the Republic of Kazakhstan, 3,082 violations in the field of plant quarantine were detected, administrative fines were imposed in the amount of 137 million tenge, which is 4.7 times more than the same period in 2019," the head of the department said.

Also, the import of 12.4 thousand tons of regulated products that do not meet mandatory quarantine phytosanitary requirements was suppressed, which is 41.8% more than the same period last year.

In 2020, in order to eliminate corruption risks, plant quarantine inspectors were equipped with photo and video recording of inspectors' actions during control and supervisory activities.

In order to facilitate export, the list of documents required for obtaining a phytosanitary certificate has been reduced;

In addition, the terms of issuance have been reduced:

  • a quarantine certificate from 3 to 1 day;
  • phytosanitary certificate from 5 to 3 days;
  • procedure for obtaining a quarantine and phytosanitary certificate has been simplified for perishable products within 3 working hours.

According to Omarov, due to the stable quarantine phytosanitary situation on the territory of the Republic, there are no restrictions on the supply of domestic crop products to priority sales markets.

10 protocols on phytosanitary quarantine requirements were signed with the General Administration of Customs of China. 486 domestic enterprises that produce and process crop products are included in the Register of the PRC. Work is underway to develop a traceability system for plant and livestock products and integrate with the Rosselkhoznadzor information system.

In turn, Akim of the North Kazakhstan Region Kumar Aksakalov informed that the region is systematically working to ensure veterinary and phytosanitary safety.

1.5 billion tenge was allocated for carrying out veterinary measures, which is 500 million tenge more than last year. For 9 months of 2020, 2.4 million heads of animals or 99% were vaccinated, 700 thousand heads or 73% were vaccinated for diagnostic tests. As a result, the occurrence of infectious animal diseases is not allowed.

During the implementation of the state veterinary and sanitary control, 371 violations of veterinary legislation were revealed. At 4 automobile checkpoints across the State border with the Russian Federation, more than 1 thousand vehicles with controlled cargo were inspected. Administrative measures were taken against the offenders, and the goods were returned.

Control over the import of regulated products is carried out. For violations of phytosanitary requirements, 30 vehicles were returned, 111 administrative materials were compiled.

“As a result of an outbreak of avian influenza in the adjacent territory of the Russian Federation, on Aug. 28, we immediately held an operational meeting with the heads of poultry farms, at which we developed an algorithm to prevent bird flu,” said the regional akim.

Despite the measures taken, an outbreak of avian influenza occurred in the region. A total of 450 thousand heads were killed. The main reasons are poultry contact with wild migratory and synanthropic birds.

“In the settlements where the diagnosis was confirmed, a quarantine regime was established. 873 thousand doses of the vaccine were allocated. 554 thousand heads of poultry were vaccinated. Owners of birds were paid 66 million tenge of compensation, work continues,” explained Aksakalov.

In the region, an action plan has been developed to restore the damaged poultry farms. The mechanisms of financial support for the acquisition of young animals are considered. Issues of uninterrupted supply of eggs to the regional trade network at a fixed price have been worked out. There is no excitement among the population.

Akim of the Kostanay Region Archimed Mukhambetov said that phytosanitary measures in the region, including conducting a survey of land to identify quarantine objects, especially dangerous and harmful organisms, as well as chemical treatments are carried out in a timely manner.

“For especially dangerous diseases of agricultural crops in the region there is a decrease in infected areas. This year, during the implementation of quarantine supervision at phytosanitary quarantine posts in the region, 27 facts of non-compliance with the International Plant Protection Convention were discovered. 6 quarantine objects from regulated products from the Russian Federation, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were identified. 27 notifications were sent to the importing countries,” the head of the region said.

The phytosanitary situation for especially dangerous pests in the region is stable, treatments were carried out in 2020 on an area of ​​624.9 thousand hectares. The prevailing weather and climatic conditions did not contribute to the development and spread of pests and epiphytoties.

Along with this, quarantine for highly pathogenic avian influenza has been declared in 10 settlements, checkpoints have been established, veterinarians with disinfection facilities have been assigned, police officers to control quarantine measures, explanatory work is being carried out with the population.

“The epizootic situation has stabilized, no deaths among birds have been registered over the past 17 days, health-improving activities are continuing. 491 thousand doses of vaccine for a private household were received from the republic, vaccination has been completed. In addition, 625 thousand poultry heads were vaccinated in poultry farms at their own expense. In total, 968 thousand head of birds were vaccinated in the region,” Mukhambetov concluded.

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