The cases when the owner may be divested from compensation, or its size may be reduced are listed in government Decree No. 139 of February 1, 2023.
Among others, the list includes the following reasons for compensation reductions:
- failure to inform national veterinary services on cases of animal disease or death;
- lack of a disinfection zone for personnel at the site. This requirement doesn’t apply to farms producing pasture-finished cattle;
- the territory of the farm is unfenced;
- biowaste was disposed with violations of veterinary rules;
- transport vehicles were not disinfected at the entrance;
- second usage of vehicles after transporting of infected animals;
- food products were brought into the territory of the pig farm.
Compensation may also be reduced for the walking of pigs or their contact with other animals, which is prohibited by current veterinary rules.
Besides that, compensation may be reduced if pigs were fed with food waste. That is prohibited by the amendments to the veterinary rules, which come into force on March 1, 2023.
In cases where several violations from the list are revealed, the owner will be divested from compensation.
Another government Decree No.140 of February 1, 2023, states that every application for compensation will be followed by a request forwarded by the local authorities to the territorial administrations of the Rosselkhoznadzor aiming to confirm the lack of violation of veterinary rules. That is, lack of any scenarios listed in the document approved by the government.
The document indicates the cases when compensation may be reduced by 25 or 50%.
Both Decrees will come into force on March 1, 2023.
The new Federal Law No. 222-FZ of June 28, 2022, setting out a new procedure for payments due to owners of seized farm animals or animal products, comes into force on the same date.