By August 20, more than 3000 sheep died in the country because of the disease spread by mosquitoes. The organization of breeders says that the direct and indirect losses from the epidemic would reach50 million euros. The problem stems mostly from the fact that in a case of epidemic export of live stock is banned for 6 months after the eradication of the last outbreak of the disease. This means that the next Bulgarian lamb export campaign will also be ruined. 
 Breeders are angry and they have called on the prosecution to investigate what they say is criminal negligence as institutions reacted months after the first outbreak of the disease. Back in May this year the European Food Safety Agency warned of a serious risk for spreading of bluetongue and Schmallenberg viruses in Bulgaria. Authorities in the country, however, did not take measures. Only at the end of July, former Agriculture Minister Dimitar Grekov asked the Council of Ministers for 400 thousand euros to be used for prevention. However, only 200,000 were provided. "They did not give him the money and now the state will need to spend 100 million euro for compensations and vaccines,” says Boyko Sinapov, president of the National Association of Breeders. Bulgaria will need 2.5 million vaccines, which equals the number of ruminants in Bulgarian farms. The vaccination campaign will start in the spring. The EC is expected to allocate half of the necessary funds for buying the vaccines. Some 1.5 million euros will be spent from the national budget.

 
The last time bluetongue was registered in Bulgaria was in 1999, but the epidemic then was quickly stopped. This time the situation is more serious because of the very favorable climatic conditions for mosquitoes - warm weather and summer rainfalls. The epidemic is worse also because of the delayed reaction of Bulgarian authorities. "This time the disease has spread all over the country and most likely bluetongue will still be present in the spring,” professor Likov says  
 
The expectations of EFSA for a risk of spreading the Schmallenberg virus may also become true. Cases of affected animals have already been registered in neighboring Serbia, Greece and Turkey. Let's hope that this time authorities will react more swiftly and would prefer prevention rather than expensive treatment later.  
 
Bulgaria has so far been a reliable outer border of the EU when it came to stopping numerous infectious animal diseases that come mostly from Asia across the borders with Greece and Turkey. The case seems to be different during periods of political instability, when the work of the executive authorities is largely blocked.

English: Alexander Markov