African Swine Fever: Number of outbreaks in Bulgaria rises to 21
The number of confirmed outbreaks of African Swine Fever in Bulgaria rose to 21 on July 25 as the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency confirmed new outbreaks of the disease in domestic pigs in the districts of Pleven and Veliko Turnovo.
The agency said that it had confirmed two new outbreaks, on private farms in the town of Iskar in the municipality of the same name in the Pleven district, and in the village of Klimentovo, Polski Trumbesh municipality in the Veliko Turnovo district.
There were about 30 pigs at each farm, the agency said.
Samples taken had been confirmed as positive for the African Swine Fever virus by the National Reference Laboratory at the National Diagnostic Research Veterinary Medical Institute in Sofia, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency said.
In three districts in Bulgaria – Rousse, Razgrad and Pleven – states of emergency have been declared by the respective district governors.
The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis has expressed great disappointment with the Bulgarian authorities regarding their actions in relation to African Swine Fever, Bulgarian National Radio reported on July 25.
“And such a peak is a brilliant example of the fact that Bulgaria has not done much to avoid this situation,” Andriukaitis told BNR in an interview.
Tens of thousands of pigs in Bulgaria are being culled as a measure against the spread of African Swine Fever. The price of pig meat is increasing significantly.
