Russian agriculture official dismissed amid mass livestock culling in Siberia

The governor of Russia’s Novosibirsk region, Andrey Travnikov, has dismissed the regional agriculture minister Andrey Shindelov amid a large-scale outbreak of cattle disease that led to the destruction of thousands of animals and triggered rare farmer protests.

In March, local farmers staged protests after police and veterinary services culled thousands of animals across the region. Authorities officially cited only pasteurellosis as the cause, although some biologists argue this diagnosis does not explain the scale of livestock destruction.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, in a report citing local sources, suggested that the nature and scale of the measures could indicate a possible unconfirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Russia rejects these claims, saying they are not consistent with reality.

Farmers whose livestock was located in affected zones reported that animals were seized and culled, often without the presentation of test results or documentation.

On March 16, a resident of the village of Novokluchi, Svetlana Panina, attended a scheduled meeting with Shindelov and asked why veterinarians had euthanized 200 of her cattle in her absence. According to reports, the minister did not respond and left the meeting, walking away down the corridor.

The governor stated that “for the first time in many decades, dangerous animal diseases were allowed into the region,” adding that the situation remains critical amid the start of the sowing season and seasonal flood and wildfire risks.

Tags: Russia