Bulgaria Agriculture Minister: Million eggs to be withdrawn from market because of bird flu
More than a million eggs are to be withdrawn from the Bulgarian market because of outbreaks of bird flu in the country, Agriculture Minister Roumen Porozhanov said in a June 22 television interview.
The step was necessary in order to halt the spread of the disease, he said, adding that it was not dangerous to human health.
Bird flu was a problem for Bulgarian poultry breeders for a second consecutive year, Porozhanov told public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television.
Authorities expected that there would be further outbreaks, so serious steps had to be taken against the infection, he said.
Porozhanov also warned of the danger of the African swine fever virus, which was already threatening the borders of Bulgarian.
He said that incidents of the disease had been detected about 150 to 160km from the Bulgarian border. “We wil have to take preventative measures and adequate solutions against the disease,” he said.
Pig farmers were already taking precautions. “One source of the disease are foods such as fresh sausages, which can be spread by tourists coming from the affected areas,” he said. Wild boars also could be carriers of African swine fever, Porozhanov said.
Representatives of the largest pig breeding farms in Bulgaria already have urged the state to take urgent action against the spread of African swine fever.
(Photo: Sanja Gjenero/sxc.hu)
