Bulgaria’s Food Safety Agency confirms four new outbreaks of African Swine Fever
The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency said that it had on January 8 confirmed four new outbreaks of African Swine Fever, one at an industrial farm in the Black Sea district of Varna where there were close to 40 000 pigs.
The outbreaks were confirmed by laboratory tests, the agency said.
The industrial farm where the outbreak was confirmed was in the village of Brestak, in the Vulchi Dol municipality in Varna.
The agency said that some of the pigs at the industrial farm in the village of Nikola Kozlevo, where an outbreak of African Swine Fever was confirmed a few days ago – leading to an order to cull 24 500 pigs, had come from Brestak.
A three-kilometre protection zone has been declared, which includes the villages of Brestak and General Kiselovo. A 10km monitoring zone also has been declared.
A new outbreak was registered at an Eastern Balkan pig breeding farm in the village of Vesselinovo, in the Smyadovo municipality in the district of Shoumen. A total of 125 pigs are on the premises. A three km protection zone has been declared, including the villages of Vesselinovo and Aleksandrovo.
The third outbreak was at a smallholding farm in the village of Gergini in the Gabrovo district, where there were 29 pigs. The fourth was at a backyard farm in the village of Bobov Dol, in the Tvurditsa municipality in the district of Sliven. This outbreak was confirmed after two pigs were reported sick. A three km protection zone and 10km monitoring zone have been declared.
The agency said that measures have been taken to control and eradicate the disease in accordance with the rules of European and national legislation and the Emergency Control Plan for African Swine Fever.
“Humane killing and disposal of all pigs, infected and those that have been in contact with them, at the affected sites is forthcoming, subject to regulatory requirements,” the Food Safety Agency said.
There were 42 registered outbreaks of African Swine Fever in Bulgaria in 2019, eight at industrial farms, according to the Agriculture Ministry. About 140 000 pigs were culled.
About 70 million leva (about 35 million euro) was spent in 2019 on preventative measures and compensation for farmers whose pigs were culled.
Bulgaria’s government plans amendments to agricultural legislation early in 2020 to step up measures against ASF.
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