Agriculture Minister: There will be personnel changes in Food Safety Agency

There will undoubtedly be staffing and organisational changes in the Food Safety Agency, but we cannot make them at the peak of the African Swine Fever (ASF) infection when we need people on the sites, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Desislava Taneva told BNT1 breakfast programme on Augist 9 in connection with the check appointed by the Chief Prosecutor into the Food Safety Agency (BFSA).

30 outbreaks of African Swine Fever on domestic pigs have been established so far in the country, mainly in Northern Bulgaria. Six of them are in industrial pig farms. Most new cases of the virus in recent days are in wild boars - a total of 33, explained Minister Taneva.

Since 2007, ASF cases have been identified in 12 EU member states and none of these countries has been taken out of the list of this virus. For 12 years, the African Swine Fever has not been eradicated from farms in Europe, Taneva said.

Desislava Taneva, Minister of Agriculture: All that is left for production is only under the conditions of biosecurity measures. This is the goal we have and must achieve if we want to have local production. Biosecurity measures and registrations of these farms must be put in place - it is not so difficult, nor that expensive. From now on, the risk of spread, infecting, damage and economic loss is greatly reduced and compensation for lost animals is due.

I thank all the people who cooperated in the fight against the spread of African Swine Fever. They used the meat, cleared the farms and we will give them a financial incentive of 300 BGN, said Minister Taneva.

Everything will be repopulated next year in conditions of biosecurity measures, the minister added.

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