Agriculture Minister meets with livestock farmers over sheep and goat plague and pox

At the Ministry of Agriculture and Food on December 4, a meeting took place between caretaker Minister Dr. Georgi Tahov and representatives of livestock organizations, where the current epizootic situation in the country was discussed.

"The sheep and goat plague, although with a low mortality rate of about 2%, poses a serious risk to the livestock sector, especially when we need to ensure food safety and preserve foreign markets," said Boyko Sinapov - Chairman of United Bulgarian Livestock Breeders.

In his words, "adequate compensation will help farmers to rebuild their farms and get through this difficult period.

"We stand behind such a solution to the case," said Darina Shishkova, manager of the "Breeding Organisation for Autochthonous Sheep Breeds in Bulgaria".

She expressed concern about the potential upcoming ban from the European Commission (EC).

"We have no doubt that there is plague in the herd, especially since antibodies were found in samples provided by the farmers themselves in Greece," commented Dimitar Zorov, Chairman of the Board of the National Union of Cattle Breeders in Bulgaria.

He added that the low mortality rate of this strain does not eliminate the need for containment measures, as even animals with antibodies can spread the disease.

"It is clear to everyone, after two positive tests from the National Reference Laboratory and the parallel test in Greece, that the plague reached these sheep one way or another," Zorov said.

“If we send new samples to the European Reference Laboratory in Montpellier and if we receive positive results from there, we risk a ban on the export of Bulgarian sheep dairy products, not only from the Pazardzhik region but from the entire country. And what happens then? The entire sheep farming sector will go bankrupt because there will be no buyers for sheep milk and products,” commented Zdravko Uzunov, urging not to politicize the situation.

Georgi Milev emphasized that, despite the challenges, there is a full understanding within the industry of the need to comply with European requirements.

“The Ministry has done a lot for the sector in recent months, but now it is crucial to ensure that the EC will not impose sanctions on the entire country,” he said.

The livestock farmers expressed their willingness to cooperate in limiting the spread of the disease. They agreed that the planned compensation for owners is more than adequate and requested that the rules be applied equally to all. They also called for the compensation for the farm owners in Velingrad to be paid as quickly as possible and expressed a desire to help them restore their herd within one or two months.

They reminded that if containment measures are obstructed, no compensation will be provided, and additional sanctions may be imposed.