Minister of Agriculture Georgi Tahov held an online meeting with Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Romania Violeta Mușat and Secretary General of Rural Development and Food in Greece Spyros Protopsaltis. According to the Bulgarian ministry, they discussed the complicated epizootic situation in the Balkans due to the spread of small ruminant pox and bluetongue.

According to the information presented, 106 small ruminant pox outbreaks have been registered in Bulgaria in 5 regions with nearly 11,000 affected animals. In Greece, where a state of emergency has been introduced in some regions, there are 600 outbreaks and 183,000 animals have been culled. In Romania, there are 19 outbreaks, with over 8,000 animals euthanized in 40 days.

The three countries presented the measures they are implementing against the infections. The main risk is the illegal trafficking of live animals, which contributes to the spread of diseases. It has been decided to strengthen the exchange of information and control over animal trafficking.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov

Publication in English: Alexander Markov

Photo: Ministry of Agriculture and Food