BULGARIAN STOCK-BREEDERS’ PROTEST ENDS WITH ARRESTS

On 4th of February, stock-breeders from the region of Blagoevgrad in the South West of Bulgaria went out on a protest over the low prices they were paid for their milk.

Due to police presence, their attempt to block the traffic on the international motorway E 79 near the town of Simitli was unsuccessful. A small group of the stock-breeders’ attempt to go to the main road ended with arrests. The police detained two people and in 20 minutes released them.

The protesting stock-breeders expressed disagreement with the unjust way, according to them, of allocation of communal pasture areas and the huge volume of documents they have to fill in for various procedures.

They demanded vaccination against the bluetongue disease to start as soon as possible in order to prevent a repeat of losses they suffered last year.

The stock-breeders say that if the conditions in the sector do not improve they will have to stop breeding.