Photo: social media
Activist Roman Malozemov said that at least 25 farmers from the Ordynsky district of Novosibirsk Region filed a collective lawsuit against Governor Andrey Travnikov and the regional government, alleging the unlawful seizure of livestock.
Details. According to the farmers, before the quarantine was introduced, the regional veterinary department did not inspect the animals or take samples from them. Because of this, the plaintiffs argue, the governor had no grounds to include their private farms in the epizootic outbreak zone.
In addition, the claimants stressed that in cases of pasteurellosis, only sick birds may be euthanized, not livestock. In their view, the local authorities seized the animals in violation of Russian veterinary law.
The farmers are asking the court to declare the livestock seizure decision unlawful and to compensate them for moral harm.
Context. Since February, livestock has been seized and destroyed from farmers in neighboring Novosibirsk Region. The authorities said this was due to outbreaks of rabies and pasteurellosis. “Novaya-Europe” found that the most likely cause was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which the authorities consistently denied. The authorities later acknowledged this themselves.
Local residents staged protests, demanding explanations and compensation from officials. As “7x7” notes, at least six people were fined, while three others received two days of arrest each. In early June, the Novosibirsk authorities fully lifted the quarantine.