State to pay for exterminated sick cows in north Kazakhstan

The state will pay for the cows with Schmallenberg virus exterminated in North-Kazakhstan oblast, Tengrinews.kz reports citing chairman of the Veterinary Control Commission of Kazakhstan Agriculture Ministry Nigmat Zhakupbayev. According to the official, the state achieved an agreement with KazAgroFinance on reimbursement of costs to the farms, including the expenses for food and care, as well as the salaries of the farms' employees. "All that will be calculated, certified by respective documents and paid. Now everything depends on the farmers, on how quickly and reasonably they can prove their expenses. All these costs will be calculated by the state and included into the lawsuits against the Austrian party. We suggested the Austrian party to voluntarily take back the cattle and pay back the money spent by the (Kazakhstan) government, but they refused to do so. So the issue is no longer of my responsibility, please address KazAgroFinance for that," Zhakupbayev said. He also stressed that the Commission does not have any information on whether the milk of the sick cows had any negative effect on people's health. The official noted that Schmallenberg virus "had absolutely no defined origins and anything could be expected". The extermination of sick cows continues in Leonov and Poltavskoye farms in North-Kazakhstan oblast. All cattle has been exterminated in Leonov farm (290 Simmental cows and 115 calves). The epidemiological team started working in Poltavskoye farm on February 18. 200 calves and 50 cows have been exterminated so far.