Russia has seen another mass livestock cull over a disputed diagnosis. An earlier outbreak turned out to be foot-and-mouth disease.

Russia is conducting another large-scale slaughter of livestock following a disputed diagnosis, according to reports. A previous outbreak was later found to be caused by foot-and-mouth disease.

Authorities in the Irkutsk region have begun seizing and killing 19 animals – 14 cows and five pigs – from Butyrki, Koty, and Oyok villages. They suspect the outbreak originated from the illegal import of sheep and goats.

But the Irkutsk municipal district states that farmers will be compensated for the slaughtered animals. However, some farmers dispute this, claiming their animals are not infected. They also accuse veterinarians of spreading the disease by not changing uniforms after examining sick animals.

Residents have protested the location of the burial site, demanding it be moved further from their villages. A new pit has been dug 2.5 kilometers from Butyrki, but even this has not satisfied everyone.

Veterinarian epidemiologist Svetlana Shchepyotkina in St. Petersburg suggests the symptoms might indicate foot-and-mouth disease instead of lumpy skin disease. The drug used to kill the animals, Adilin-Super, causes an agonizing death by suffocation.

Other regions, such as Buryatia, have gone on high alert with round-the-clock veterinary checkpoints along the border. The outbreak has already resulted in mass slaughters in the past year, including a case in Novosibirsk where foot-and-mouth disease was the actual cause of the seizures.