Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovski announced during Thursday’s hearing held by the parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Food and Forestry that a vaccination plan against sheep and goat pox has been drawn up and published for public consultation for the first time in Bulgaria. The consultation period will last until October 9.
The minister emphasized that sheep and goat pox is an extremely serious disease and that the ongoing situation requires constant vigilance, enhanced surveillance and coordination between his ministry, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA), veterinary surgeons, the scientific community, and the livestock sector. The disease can impact farms, the movement and trade in animals and animal products, which is why all measures taken should be timely, proportionate to the risk and based on veterinary expertise, he added.
The plan has been published on the BFSA website to ensure the necessary publicity and transparency. Abrovski stated that such a plan should have been drawn up as early as last year. In addition to setting out how the vaccination programme will be carried out, the document also specifies the thresholds at which vaccination must be initiated.
After October 9, a working group may be formed to draft the final version of the document before it is definitively approved.
Abrovski reported that in 2025, there were 192 outbreaks, affecting 24,968 animals. This year, there have been 39 outbreaks, located in the regions of Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Plovdiv, Haskovo, Stara Zagora, Yambol, and Kardzhali. A total of 4,577 animals have been affected.
Abrovski reported that work on the plan began in August, as 18 outbreaks of sheep and goat pox were recorded at that time, compared with a total of five in the previous two months. In September, the number of outbreaks fell to 15.
At the forthcoming meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, to be held in Brussels on September 28 and 29, Bulgaria, together with Cyprus, Greece, Romania, and Croatia, will call on the European Commission to carry out a comprehensive review of its legislation, as it outdated. It makes no provision for compensation for farmers who are forced to keep their animals within the quarantine zone around the outbreaks, the minister said.
Abrovski noted that there is a loophole in the legislation, which he urged Bulgarian MPs to address. When the BFSA identifies an outbreak, and its representatives decide to enforce the legislation, there is no provision ensuring that, in the event of a livestock farmer’s refusal to cooperate, the BFSA can enter the premises and enforce the law as stipulated.
Sheep and Goat Pox Vaccination Plan Published for Public Consultation 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-24 14:48:15
Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news. Bulgaria news, Bulgarian news, news from Bulgaria, latest news Bulgaria, breaking news Bulgaria, Bulgaria today, Bulgarian politics, Bulgarian government. Bulgarian economy, Bulgarian business, Bulgarian society, Bulgarian culture, Bulgarian tourism, Bulgarian sports, Bulgarian media, Bulgarian parliament. Sofia news, Plovdiv news, Varna news, Burgas news, Ruse news, Stara Zagora news, Pleven news, Sliven news. Dobrich news, Shumen news, Pernik news, Haskovo news, Yambol news, Pazardzhik news, Blagoevgrad news, Veliko Tarnovo news. Vratsa news, Gabrovo news, Asenovgrad news, Vidin news, Bulgarian local news, Bulgaria current affairs, Bulgaria breaking news, Bulgaria headlines. Balkan news, Southeast Europe news, Bulgarian international news, Bulgaria world news, Bulgarian elections, Bulgaria events, Bulgaria analysis, Bulgaria updates.Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law.
BULGARIA NEWS – NEWS AGENCY 2009–2026 2026-09-24 14:48:15
