site.btaDeputy Agriculture Minister Holds Meeting with Foreign Diplomats on Sheep, Goat Pox Situation

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Stefan Burdzhiev held a working meeting with representatives of diplomatic missions in Bulgaria, the Agriculture and Food Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday. The talks followed Monday’s consultations with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) regarding the ongoing epizootic situation linked to sheep and goat pox. The meeting was attended by representatives of the embassies of Kuwait, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates in Bulgaria, as well as officials from the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

“For the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, it is essential to establish direct communication with our long-standing trade partners in the dairy sector and to reassure them that they will be kept informed at every stage as we take the most responsible and balanced decisions to manage the outbreak,” Burdzhiev said. He stressed that in recent months, the entire agricultural sector in Bulgaria has been grappling with the disease.

He emphasized that the ministry’s leadership is making every effort to apply the most rational approach to containing the epizootic situation in the country, while also working to prevent possible trade restrictions and economic losses.

Chief Veterinary Sanitary Inspector Iliyan Kostov presented updated data and a timeline of the measures taken so far at both national and local level. He reassured participants that the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency continues to work closely with the European Commission and partner institutions.

In conclusion, Burdzhiev said that the Central Epizootic Council will convene on Friday to decide whether to introduce vaccination against sheep and goat pox. The decision, he said, will be based on scientific evidence, professional analysis, and the need to protect animal health and ensure the sector’s economic stability.