site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Veterinary Union Calls for Making Vaccination the Leading Tool in Fighting Animal Diseases

The National Council of the Bulgarian Veterinary Union (BVU) has endorsed a draft position by the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), which calls for making prevention - vaccination in particular - a leading tool in the fight against infectious animal diseases. This represents a significant change from the current rules, which rely primarily on culling animals, the BVU said in a press release on Friday.

The FVE is an international non-governmental organization bringing together professional bodies from 38 countries. The FVE represents veterinarians in all sectors, working to improve animal health and welfare, protect public health and the environment. The BVU has been a full member of the FVE since 2010.

In its position, the FVE stresses that vaccination is an essential part of the animal health toolbox, alongside biosecurity and early detection. Investing in prevention and unlocking the full potential of vaccination can protect animal health, preserve farmers' livelihoods, and ensure a sustainable future for society.

It is particularly important that the FVE emphasizes the need to replace mass culling with preventive measures, including biosecurity, vaccination, and early detection of diseases, wherever possible.

Cross-border diseases such as avian influenza, African swine fever (ASF), foot-and-mouth disease, smallpox, bluetongue, and nodular dermatitis are a serious threat to Europe and the world. Managing them through mass culling of animals leads to huge economic losses, disrupts food security, devastates rural communities, and severely affects the mental health of farmers and veterinarians.

In the first half of 2025 alone, Bulgaria faced several animal disease outbreaks that have put a significant economic strain on the animal husbandry sector. The outbreaks ranged from sheep and goat pox to smaller-scale bluetongue infections and large-scale bird flu outbreaks. As of August 4, the Minsitry of Agriculture reported 106 outbreaks in 5 districts with around 11,000 animals infected with sheep and goatpox. In one week of July in Kazanlak Region, 10,000 sheep were culled. In March, 40,000 chickens were put down amid a bird flu outbreak in Plovdiv Region.

Such outbreaks, together with the strict measures they triggered, have affected farmers by disrupting livestock trade and imposing severe economic costs.

Worldwide, examples from recent years confirm the scale of the problem: millions of pigs and wild boars are killed every year because of ASF; in 2025, over 18,000 cattle were culled because of foot-and-mouth disease, causing losses of over EUR 1 billion; millions of birds continue to be culled every year due to avian influenza, at a cost of hundreds of millions of euros, the BVU said.

It argues that vaccination and biosecurity offer a more sustainable and humane solution. They reduce the need for extreme measures, protect farmers' incomes, reduce pressure on public budgets, and preserve food supply chains. The environment is also protected, as the negative consequences of mass culling are limited.

The FVE and BVU stressed that without coordinated European support, disease management remains fragmented, exacerbating regional disparities and weakening surveillance systems. Legislation needs to keep pace with scientific progress and international trading partners need to mutually support stable vaccination and control regimes to ensure safe global trade in animal products.

The BVU and FVE call on EU institutions, national authorities, global trading partners, the pharmaceutical industry, farmers, and veterinarians to join forces.