site.btaBulgaria, Greece, and Romania Discuss Joint Action Against Spread of Contagious Animal Diseases

Minister of Agriculture and Food Georgi Tahov held an online meeting with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania Violeta Musat and Secretary General of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food of the Republic of Greece Spiros Protopsaltis, as well as representatives of the veterinary services of the two neighboring countries, the press centre of the Bulgarian Agriculture Ministry said on Monday. The meeting was prompted by the complicated epizootic situation on the Balkan Peninsula related to the spread of small ruminant pox and bluetongue.

"I invited you to this discussion so that we can share and learn from each other's experience and best practices, and discuss proposals for coordinating actions between countries in order to deal with diseases more quickly," Minister Tahov said.

Information was presented on the development of sheep and goat pox, with 106 outbreaks in five regions and nearly 11,000 animals affected in Bulgaria since the beginning of 2025. In Greece, where a state of emergency has been declared in some areas, there are 600 outbreaks and 183,000 animals have been culled. In Romania, there are 19 outbreaks, with around 8,000 animals euthanized in about 40 days.

The three countries presented the measures they are implementing - restrictions on animal movement, disinfection, sanitary zones, sampling, among others. The main difficulty identified was the illegal trafficking of live animals, which in recent months has emerged as a major vector for the spread of infection. Minister Tahov pointed out that, given the free passage through border checkpoints following Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area, enhanced controls and strict measures are needed to restrict the illegal movement of animals between the three countries. Law enforcement agencies and local authorities are involved in Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania.

The meeting ended with a commitment to enhanced cooperation and exchange of information between the veterinary services of the three countries, as well as a call for joint action to protect animal health and the stability of the agricultural sector in the region. A working group involving the veterinary authorities of the countries is to be set up.

The Bulgarian side was represented in the talks by Dr. Svetlozar Patarinski, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA), and Assoc. Prof. Iliyan Kostov, Chief Veterinary and Sanitary Inspector of Bulgaria.