site.btaLivestock Breeders to Receive BGN 2 Mln in Compensations for Sheep and Goat Pox Restrictions

State Fund Agriculture's Management Board has approved a budget of BGN 2 million under the de minimis rule for compensation to livestock breeders whose herds are located in areas subject to restrictive measures due to goat and sheep pox, the institution said Thursday.

State aid will be granted in 2025 to farmers whose registered livestock facilities are located within the settlements where restrictive measures have been imposed by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency: the regions of Plovdiv, Burgas, Haskovo and Stara Zagora, where numerous primary outbreaks were detected in July and August. 

The de minimis aid will cover part of the costs incurred by farmers for breeding animals in the four areas where pox has been registered. The financial support provided amounts to up to BGN 16 per live animal.

Farmers registered under Regulation No. 3 of 1999 who breed small ruminants and are listed in a report provided by the competent authority, namely the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, are eligible for support. The restrictive measures include bans on the movement and transport of animals in a 5-kilometre protection zone and a 15-kilometre surveillance zone around the identified outbreaks.

The imposition of preventive measures created an additional financial burden for farmers engaged in small ruminant farming in the infected areas, which in turn led to a decrease in the profitability and liquidity of farms. The de minimis aid is intended to mitigate the negative consequences and help livestock breeders overcome the difficulties they face, according to the State Fund Agriculture.

The maximum de minimis aid threshold that a farmer can receive within three years is EUR 50,000.

The competent directorates at State Fund Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food are to prepare guidelines for the implementation of the aid, which will be approved by the minister responsible.