Bulgaria To Cull 24,000 Pigs Amid Swine Fever Outbreak

Bulgarian veterinary authorities say they will cull 24,000 additional pigs amid signs of an outbreak of African Swine Fever at a pig farm in the northeast of the country.

The report on January 3 represents a continuation of an outbreak that was first detected at six breeding farms in the summer and led to the culling of more than 130,000 pigs in August 2019.

The latest outbreak was detected at a farm in the village of Nikola Kozlevo in the region of Shumen, food safety officials said.

Health officials said there were 42 registered outbreaks of African Swine Fever in the country in 2019.

The disease does not affect humans but is highly contagious among pigs.

In August, industry officials expressed concerns that the virus could hit the nation’s entire pig herd of some 500,000 and cause more than $1.1 billion in damages.

The European Commission has set aside 9 million euros (around $10 million) to help fight the disease. Bulgarian lawmakers have approved legislation for 2020 intended to regulate conditions for raising domestic pigs and enhance biosecurity measures.

Based on reporting by Reuters and The Sofia Globe