Biosecurity

The White House announced today its intentions to launch a billion plan dedicated to stopping the next potential biological threat once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

The European Commission has announced that it is launching a European biosecurity program to combat pandemics and other potential biological threats. This was stated by EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

She spoke online at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) will launch mass inspections at all industrial breeding farms for waterfowl and landfowl in the country, the BFSA press office said.

By the end of the year at the latest, we expect a decision whether Bulgaria will receive additional funds from the European budget to combat (African swine fever) ASF; measures at European level are needed, MEP from GERB/EPP Andrey Novakov told Focus Radio.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has promised the state to help restore the pig business that has been forced to kill pigs because of the African swine fever and take biosecurity measures.

This became clear after Borissov's meeting in Varna with industry representatives.

An outbreak of African Swine Fever has been confirmed after a laboratory test of a dead wild boar in Arnautska Polyana area, the Municipality of Velingrad said on August 20. In order to prevent the spread of the disease, the Municipal Epizootic Commission has decided to suspend logging, to ban visits of tourists and to ban picking of mushrooms, herbs, and berries.

There will undoubtedly be staffing and organizational changes in the Food Safety Agency, but we cannot make them at the peak of the African Swine Fever (ASF) infection when we need people on the sites, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Desislava Taneva told BNT1 breakfast program on August 9 in connection with the check appointed by the Chief Prosecutor into the Food Safety Agency 

A strategy for control and eradication of African Swine Fever was discussed in the city of Stara Zagora on August 7 by Bulgaria's Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva and representatives of the scientific community and veterinary experts. The strategy envisages phasing out the disease and introducing biosecurity measures.

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency said it has set additional measures to prevent and eradicate bird flu after the confirmed outbreaks, reports Focus News Agency. 

Until mid-November, 26 outbreaks of the H5N8 virus were confirmed in the regions of Dobrich, Plovdiv, Haskovo, Stara Zagora and Yambol. The total number of birds in all affected farms is over 1 million.

First cases of infection with African swine fever virus (ASF) were found in four wild boars in Dobrich region (Northeastern Bulgaria). They were shot in a hunting farm on the land of the village of Bulgarevo, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) announced on 1st of November, reports BNT.