Overview
- The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry reported that more than 5,000 animals have been culled and that epidemiological tracing preliminarily links the goat and sheep pox outbreak to Arvas‑breed rams sold through the 'Saятан сүрэг' outlet.
- Ministry officials have sent formal referrals to the General Intelligence Agency and Criminal Police to investigate illegal import routes, permit lapses and sellers who moved breeding rams without veterinary clearance.
- Authorities said they will seek to recover culling compensation and outbreak costs from parties found legally responsible after administrative and criminal reviews determine who failed to follow quarantine and import rules.
- Veterinary teams have quarantined affected areas and begun sample collection while the government moves to restart domestic vaccine production, a process officials estimate will take about a month to complete.
- Anti‑corruption activity is running in parallel: an Anti‑Corruption Agency working group was deployed to Bayan‑Ölgii and courts have already decided 16 customs bribery cases, underscoring scrutiny of border controls that relate to how infected animals entered the country.