Lukashenka Against Collective Farmers
- 17.04.2023, 13:43
The dictator is alienating the last supporters around him.
UDF describes how the regime targeted the workers of the Belarusian collective farms. Probably quite unexpectedly because in rural areas, where almost everything is financed by the state budget, support for Lukashenka is traditionally higher than in cities.
Why did they start massive criminal cases for cattle plague?
This is a direct Lukashenka's order. For some reason, he has been actively raising the topic of the inadmissibility of cattle plague on collective farms since 2019.
“I repeat for the government and for the future. You will go to jail for cattle plague,” the head of the country threatened in the summer of 2019.
In the same year, he promised officials "the most severe investigations" for cattle plague. Lukashenka returned to the topic in 2021: “Here it is necessary to cut out all the shortcomings with a red-hot iron,” he said. Moreover, the head of the country commanded "take them" to the Prosecutor General's Office, the State Control and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The last time Lukashenka spoke about it a month ago, when he told the heads of regional executive committees:
“Guys, men, governors, this will cost you heavily. No one will persuade you anymore. The minister will stand next to you or in front of you. He is our doctor and veterinarian. You will face the highest punishment together with the governors.”
Looking ahead, we note that, despite the words of Lukashenka, none of the high-ranking officials, of course, answered for cattle plague. As a rule, repressions are directed against ordinary people holding certain positions in collective farms.
Who is really responsible for the problem of cattle plague?
Officially, the authorities name such cattle plague reasons: poor living conditions for animals, unbalanced diet, poor quality of feed due to improper storage. Sometimes cattle are fed rotten feeding hay.
However, from a broader perspective, all the problems rest on the very collective farm form of management. There is no motivation among workers and managers causing irresponsibility.
The problem of cattle plague has existed since the existence of collective farms. Nothing new has happened in recent years. However, Lukashenka traditionally does not want to admit the fallacy of the agricultural development strategy in Belarus.
What is the punishment for concealing cattle plague?
There is a special feature of the repressions against collective farmers: they are prosecuted not for cattle plague, but for concealing such facts. It is paradoxical that people are doing this to avoid relatively easy punishment - fines and disciplinary responsibility.
The scale of repression indicates the following fact: in November last year, it was reported that in 2022 more than 360 criminal cases were initiated across the country for concealing cattle plague.
In addition, there has been a trend towards tougher criminal penalties. Until the end of last year, the defendants most often got off with "home arrests" or they were given a reprieve. At the same time, show-trials were quite often.
For example, in Kobryn, the heads of local collective farms were driven to trial, which took place under the portrait of Lukashenka. We saw that two weeping women were accused of concealing the death of 18 heads of cattle - the foreman and livestock specialist of the Druzhba cattle breeding farm. According to state media, it was found that the defendants had no personal benefit and hid information, "perhaps even sincerely wanting to protect the enterprise from negative consequences".
Since the end of last year, the sentences for concealing the loss of livestock have become tougher.
The chief livestock specialist and the head of a dairy farm in the Vileika district were sentenced to two years in prison and a fine.
The former head of the department of agriculture and food - to two years in prison in the Braslau district.
The head of Kaplichi OJSC and the chief livestock specialist - to 7 years in a colony in the Kalinkovichi district.
Is the situation with cattle plague changing?
The changes are not significant. So, two weeks ago, the Prosecutor's Office of the Uzda district reported: despite the fact that the death rate decreased from 1,186 heads in 2021 to 1,061 heads in 2022, the number significantly exceeds the appropriate standards of technological losses.