Disinfection at border crossings with Turkey suspended

By order of the Minister of Agriculture, as of 13 March 2023, the disinfection measures carried out at the border crossings between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Turkey (Kapitan Andreevo, Lesovo and Malko Tarnovo) have been suspended.

In case of deterioration of the epizootic situation in Turkey, the Bulgarian State is ready to resume them.

The order was issued at the proposal of the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency on the basis of an opinion received from the Centre for Food Chain Risk Assessment (CFCRA), which assessed the epizootic situation in Turkey as "significantly improved". The conclusion leads to the assessment that the risk of transmission of exotic and particularly dangerous diseases from Turkey to Bulgaria and the EU has been significantly reduced.

The activity under Art. 190 para. 1 of the Veterinary Act is the preventive disinfection and disinsection of vehicles entering the country through the border crossing points (BCPs) of the Republic of Bulgaria under a declared epizootic situation, in order to prevent the emergence and spread of epizootic animal diseases through the border check points with the Republic of Turkey on the territory of the country and in the EU.

To date, in contrast to previous periods (2013-2018), the situation in the European part of Turkey and especially in the Edirne region has acquired a favourable character, so that the presence or absence of disinfection of vehicles entering the country does not affect the penetration of the causative agents of exotic and particularly dangerous animal diseases into the Republic of Bulgaria.