Bulgaria reported 106 outbreaks of African Swine Fever between July and early November
The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency informed the World Organisation for Animal Health of 106 outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) in a succession of reports between July and the first week of November 2019.
The process of follow-up reports is continuing, after the agency submitted 25, on one occasion in October twice in one day.
The reports with the highest numbers of outbreaks were in July and August. On July 18, the agency reported 10 outbreaks of ASF, on August 3 a total of 23, and on August 22, a total of 14.
Two reports have been submitted so far in November, on the first and the seventh. All these outbreaks involved wild boar.
The November 1 report gave information about five outbreaks, in Mochure in Smolyan, Gorski Dolen Trambesh in Veliko Turnovo, Zhelezartsi in Veliko Turnovo, Lehchevo in Montana and Bezherovo in Lovech.
The November 7 report was of six outbreaks, in Petko Karavelovo in Veliko Turnovo, Vrabtsite in Gabrovo, Seyatchi in Turgovishte, Gorsko Ablanovo in Turgovishte, Belintsi in Razgrad and Pchelina in Razgrad.
The first wave of reports of outbreaks of ASF were at industrial and “back yard” pig farms in Bulgaria. This was followed by mass cullings of pigs, which Bulgarian authorities said was – along with stepped-up biosecurity measures – the only way to prevent the disease spreading.
In early October, Bulgaria’s Agriculture Minister Dessislava Taneva said that ASF had cost Bulgaria 20 per cent of its pigs. Millions of leva, partly funded by the EU, has been paid to farmers in compensation.
