Novosibirsk, Russia. Officials in Russia’s Novosibirsk region promised compensation to farmers after authorities ordered thousands of cattle to be culled following a disease outbreak, prompting the country’s largest non-political protests since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Emergency measures and reported outbreaks
The Siberian Novosibirsk region declared a state of emergency earlier this week to address a cattle disease outbreak. Officials said they had identified outbreaks of pasteurellosis, described as severe bacterial pneumonia, and rabies.
Governor Andrei Travnikov told the regional parliament that for nine months, until farms recover, people would receive substantial financial support from the Novosibirsk region’s budget, and that all necessary funds had been provided. He did not name the diseases in his statements.
Travnikov said strict but necessary veterinary measures were being implemented to prevent the spread of disease and to avoid significant damage to the region’s livestock sector.
Farm visits, restrictions, and negotiations
Videos posted on social media on Thursday showed police and veterinarians arriving at a farm in the village of Kozikha, about 70 km southwest of the regional capital, Novosibirsk, which has a herd of about 600 cattle. The videos were not verified by Reuters.
Regional authorities sealed off access for outsiders to affected villages, while officials and local parliament members held negotiations with groups of farmers. A government commission from Moscow arrived in the region on Wednesday.
Commission comments and Kazakhstan import ban
Sergei Dankvert, head of the government commission, said on Wednesday that the disease had taken an unusual form and started to mutate, prompting tough measures from authorities.
Kazakhstan, which borders Novosibirsk and other affected regions, has been gradually expanding a ban on meat and livestock imports from Russia since February, its agriculture ministry told Reuters on Thursday.
How do you think the compensation pledge will affect farmers’ response to the culling measures?
