Penza, 29 February 2016. PenzaNews. The Penza region governor Ivan Belozertsev has issued a severe reprimand to Mikhail Maximov, head of the Veterinary Deparmtent, chief state veterinary inspector of the region, due to the current African swine fever situation.

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“You failed […] the objective to conduct the measures to eliminate African swine fever outbreaks. I considered firing you, but instead I am issuing a severe reprimand,” said the governor during the regional government meeting session on Monday, February 29.

That was the first and the only warning, Ivan Belozertsev stressed.

“You botched up the job, not doing the job at a worthy level,” the governor added.

As PenzaNews reported earlier, the first outbreak of African swine fever was registered in the Penza region in late January 2016 in the penal colony No. 8 on the outskirts of Penza city. On 27 January 2016, the governor signed a decree that introduced a 30-day quarantine for African swine fever and established the two caution areas around the outbreak.

On February 2, another African swine fever outbreak had been confirmed in the Penza penal colony No. 4 by lab tests. Due to adjacency of the colonies No. 8 and No. 4, the caution areas remained unchanged.

On February 5, another outbreak of African swine fever has been registered on swine farms in Berezovka and Telegino villages of the Kolyshley area.