Two new outbreaks of African Swine Fever confirmed in Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s Food Safety Agency said on July 25 that new outbreaks of African Swine Fever in domestic pigs were registered in the regions of Pleven and Veliko Turnovo, Central Northern Bulgaria. Earlier today, a case of African swine fever was confirmed in a wild boar in the town of Lom, Northern Bulgaria. Thus the number of outbreaks rises to 22.

EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis, told the Bulgarian National Radio that Bulgaria was at risk of losing its pig farming industry because of African Swine Fever.

In his words, the Bulgarian authorities have not done their work on the measures related to African Swine Fever.

Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva commented that inspections will be carried out to clarify how the disease has spread. She told BNT breakfast show that there were measures that could have been taken or better implemented to prevent the outbreaks.

Desislava Taneva said that the risk is huge. The pig farming sector which provides almost half of the pork meat for the local market, is under enormous threat, she added. My inner conviction and desire is that we must stop the spread of the virus and we must certainly save the sector, she noted. The worst thing is that within this 10-kilometre zone that is currently defined - the risk zone around the current two outbreaks of Nikolovo and Brushlen - there are two more industrial farms with more than 40,000 pigs in total that are blocked. We are looking for options for sanitary corridors for their production. Extremely difficult situation, she said.