site.btaFood Safety Agency Intervenes after International Investigation Reveals Shocking Conditions in Egg Farm

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) has intervened following a tip-off from an animal rights organization about shocking conditions at an egg farm in the village of Kramolin, central Bulgaria.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the regulator said that an on-site inspection had led to the issuance of administrative violation reports and the imposition of several restrictions.

The farm, which houses up to 46,800 laying hens kept in battery cages, was found to be in breach of multiple regulatory requirements, the BFSA said on its website.

“The inspection revealed serious violations of mandatory biosecurity protocols and veterinary-sanitary control, including deficiencies in infrastructure, zone separation, and hygiene practices,” the statement reads. “Additional non-compliances involved improper management of animal by-products, poor microclimate maintenance, and failure to meet animal welfare standards.”

The agency has issued mandatory prescriptions for rectifying the violations and placed a temporary ban on the movement of live birds to and from the facility. The farm is now under increased official oversight. Further measures are expected, including the phased depopulation of the birds, in full compliance with existing legal regulations.

The case gained public attention after the Bulgarian animal rights group Kazhi shared graphic footage on Facebook as part of an international investigation into egg farms using battery cages. The investigation covered farms in 37 countries across all continents. Kazhi, the Bulgarian partner in the project, is campaigning for a nationwide ban on caged chicken farming. Over 16,000 have supported a petition to set in place the ban.

According to the organization, Bulgaria is among the countries with the largest share of cage-bred hens, with 70% of the entire hen population kept in battery cages all their life.