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Bulgaria Registers First Case of FMD in 12 Years

The first case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has occurred in Bulgaria in the past 12 years on Wednesday.

A wild boar with FMD has been killed in the region of the south eastern Bulgarian city of Burgas. A 10 km security zone has been established and all vehicles passing through the region are being disinfected. All living animal trade in the Burgas region has been stopped.

The European Commission has already been informed about the accident.

FMD is highly contagious and, while it is not so dangerous for humans, a possible outbreak may cause severe economical damages, the Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov has explained.

"
Bulgaria may face a ban on the export of animal products if the disease is to spread,"
Naydenov has said.

Several centers of infection have already been registered in Turkey.

FMD is a sometimes fatal viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic animals such as cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs. Humans are very rarely affected.

Not sure what to make of this ? is it getting better ? or worse ? or just Bulgarian

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Turkey Reluctant on Bulgarian Border Fence Over FMD

Rezovo is a village on the Bulgarian-Turkish border close to the Black Sea coast.
A Turkish official have opposed to Bulgaria's idea to rebuild the border fence between the two countries as a measure against the recent foot-and-mouth-disease outbreak in Bulgaria.

The planned rebuilding of the border fence will not be an effective measure against the spread of the disease, according to Hassan Cebi, Head of the Regional Agriculture Department in the city of Kirklareli, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio.

He has stated that no infected animals have been found in his region, while hundreds of Bulgarian farm animals have already been slaughtered as a preventive measure to stop the FMD outbreak.

The planned rebuilding of the border fortifications, which existed between the two statesduring the cold war period, was announced on Tuesday by Bulgaria's Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov in the village of Rezovo in Bulgaria's southeasternmost corner, where the Bulgarian authorities localized a second outbreak of FMD, in addition to the cases in the nearby village of Kosti in the Burgas District.

Earlier on Wednesday, the European Commission said it was contented with the measures that Bulgaria has taken to fight the foot-and-mouth disease in the village of Rezovo and is ready to provide full technical and financial support.

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Situation to get highly concerning and dangerous is FMD reaches big animal farms

Q Mr. Vatev, is there really a risk for one-fourth of the meat processing and producing companies to go bankrupt because of the foot-and-mouth disease spreading in the village of Kosti? There are already confirmed FMD cases in another village in the district of Burgas, in the village of Rezovo.

Kiril Vatev: One-fourth of the meat producers are in the seven districts, which have been banned from trade of meat products because of the FMD. These are some 92 companies, which make one-fourth of the companies in the sector. There are both small and big enterprises in this list. Generally, the companies have contracts with big commercial chains and they do not do their business only in their own districts. Thus, the companies are banned from making deliveries to the warehouses of certain clients, which causes serious financial problems.
As far as I know, the meat in the village of Rezovo is for private consumption. The local residents do not trade the meat, in contrast to the big farms, located far away – outside the 10-kilometre area, which is the first to be checked if there is centre of disease.
If the FMD spreads to the big animal farms, which, I will say it again, are far away from the infected area, the situation will get really dangerous.
In 2001 the Bulgarian veterinary services banned the import from England. The country suffered a GBP 10 billion loss from the killing of animals over the big number of FDM centres.

Q Well, do you have any concerns that the disease may spread and affect the meat production sector?

Kiril Vatev: Of course, I am concerned. It is equally pointless not to be concerned or to be too much concerned and to hyperboloid an issue, which is already localised and the risk is too small.
The needed measures have been taken.
A report has been sent to DG-SANCO, saying that the samples taken in the 10-kilometre area around the Kosti village are negative.

Q Ukraine and Moldova, however, imposed a ban on the import?

Kiril Vatev: Well, should we really make a drama out of the fact that Ukraine and Moldova - without knowing the whole story and the seriousness of the issue, have imposed a ban? The ban is groundless. It is imposed out of incompetence.

Q Representatives of the association think that the meat producers will not get compensations. What do you think about it?

Kiril Vatev: The feelings in the sector are different. The minister of agriculture and food promised that the state will do its best for the affected producers to be compensated. Such a promise cannot just hang alone in the air. This, however, will not happen in the next few days, it is not that simple.
All companies should file the necessary documents for the benefits foregone and correct calculation of the loss. The loss of the companies, the work of which has been blocked, is obvious.
The companies were allowed to sell their products only in the localised areas. Almost all companies in the affected regions had to restrict their work and working hours. The companies will have to work out and file the reports on the loss they have suffered. Then, there should be an audit, to ascertain the sum and then it will become clear whether they will be paid or not. At the moment there are all kind of different hypotheses.

Q It turned out that part of the wire fence at the Bulgarian border to Turkey has been destroyed and this is how the infected animals have entered the territory of our country. Will you insist before the institutions for the fence to be built again, since your sector is affected by the problem?

Kiril Vatev: Bulgaria is part of the European Union (EU) and it has undertaken the engagement to protect the EU border.
I think there is no need for anyone to lobby since the state institutions will do it for sure.

Q Are the animals in the villages of Burgas used for the production of cold cuts and sausages?

Kiril Vatev: I will not be surprised if it turns out that none of the animals in these villages have been sent to the slaughterhouses. If there have been such cases, then this might have happened long time ago.

Q There are two pig farms in the district of Burgas. Is there any risk for them?

Kiril Vatev: Yes, there is. But they are located far away from the village of Kosti.
I am sure that all stock-breeders in Bulgaria have taken all necessary preventive measures.

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Greek, Bulgarian Fences along Turkish Border Draw Criticism

Plans by Greece and Bulgaria to build a fence along the Turkish border have drawn criticism in Turkey as it is widely perceived as the EU's hidden intention to build a wall to mark its borders.

Turkish Center for International Relations and Strategic Analysis Chairman Sinan Oğan said Greece and Bulgaria's intention to build a fence along the Turkish border had a hidden agenda. "
Greece, under the pretext of illegal migration, and Bulgaria, under the pretext of taking measures against foot-and-mouth disease, are practically building a wall between Turkey and Europe,"
said Oğan.

Oğan said that fence-building plan was similar to the Berlin Wall or Israel's West Bank barrier. "
The European Union is drawing a line to the Turkish border, over Greece and Bulgaria. A line between the worlds of Christianity and Islam. This can't be taken lightly,"
warned Oğan.

Mustafa Yardımcı, a board member at Turkey's Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, or TOBB, and board chairman of the Edirne Commodity Exchange, said he did not believe Bulgaria could build a fence along its border with Turkey as it would be extremely costly and fail to prevent animals from crossing the border.

"
Our region is free of foot and mouth disease. And besides, even if they build a fence the animals will find an opening and cross the border. I don't see why they would put forth such a thing,"
said Yardımcı.

Edirne Commodity Exchange Deputy Chairman Serdar Yalçıner said the fence-building plan was an EU attempt to mark its borders, noting that Thrace was free of foot and mouth disease.

"
Bulgaria wants to build a 143-kilometer fence along the border with Turkey under the pretext of foot and mouth disease. It is asking the EU to pay for the costs. It means the EU is building a 'Berlin Wall' along our borders. Let's say they managed to stop boars with a fence – what about birds and moles? The EU is marking its borders,"
said Yalçıner.

Greece's Citizen Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis announced a few weeks ago that the Greek government was planning to construct a fence along the 206-kilometer border with Turkey to stem the flow of nearly 11,000 illegal migrants each year.

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Russia bans meat and dairy imports from Bulgaria over FMD outbreak

Russia has banned Bulgarian meat and dairy imports until further notice because of the foot-and-mouth (FMD) outbreak in Bulgaria, media reports said on January 21 2011. The length of the ban is currently unknown but will be effective "
until further notice"
.

The Russian veterinary control service's ban covers the imports of all products from livestock susceptible to FMD, including pork, beef, and all diary products. With that, Russia becomes the third country to impose a ban on Bulgarian produce, following Ukraine and Moldova.

But, in spite of that decision, the ban appears to exempt certain produce.

According to the Bulgarian national veterinary service, about 30 Bulgarian companies have received approval from the Russian institutions, in spite of the ban, and "
may trade in the country with meat and dairy foods"
.

Of these, 19 are active on the Russian market, most of them with dairy products. Meanwhile, authorities in Moldova have banned all Bulgarian meat produce but according to the local agriculture department, several Bulgarian companies are still exporting sheep cheese.

FMD occurred in Bulgaria after the 12-year absence earlier this month, brought into the country through infected wild animals crossing the border from Turkey.

Two areas in Bulgaria were confirmed to be at the source of the outbreak, both in the Bourgas region. The first was the village of Kosti;
the next was Rezovo. All animals in the region were destroyed.

For the moment, FMD is not detected elsewhere in the country.

Bulgaria to allocate 1.5M leva to thwart FMD spread

byDnevnik.bg

Bulgaria's Government will allocate BGN 1.5 million to tackle the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the county, a move to be voted in Parliament on January 27 2011.

About 520 000 leva of the amount will be paid as compensation to farmers for the loss of their animals, as well as for fodder, farm equipment and other facilities that could be contaminated. The remaining sum will be used to cover expenses for fuel, overtime, construction and maintenance of disinfection establishments, disinfectants, supplies and research projects, the Government said in a statement.

For the first time in 12 years, a case of FMD was registered in the country after a wild boar crossed the border from Turkey near the Bulgarian village of Kosti, prompting authorities to have hundreds of animals destroyed.

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Bulgaria to Conduct Second FMD Check

Domestic animals from risky regions will be checked again for foot-and-mouth disease.
Bulgaria will conduct a second check for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) of domestic animals in risky areas, the National Veterinary Service has announced.

The procedure is part of the measures the Bulgarian government has taken to fight the disease. The test are being repeated because the incubation period of FMD is 20 days.

Blood samples will be taken from domestic cloven-footed animals that are at risk of infection because of their location near the outbreaks of FMD – in the municipalities of Malko Tarnovo, Tsarevo, Sredets and Primorsko.

Next week, tests will be repeated for all wild boars in the dangerous regions.

The virus was first discovered in a wild hog, shot during hunting in the Bulgarian village of Kosti, on December 30, 2010. On January 11, the authorities began euthanizing 500 animals.

A second FMD case was discovered January 17 in the nearby village of Rezovo. All infected animals have been euthanized and the village has been put under 3-month quarantine.

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Bulgarian PM, Interior Head Differ on Turkey Border Fence Plans

Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov have different opinions on whether the country should restore the fence along the Bulgarian-Turkish border as a measure against the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

On Friday, Tsvetanov said that he expects a new integrated system for control of the Bulgarian-Turkish border to start operating by the end of the year. In his words, it would not require taking additional money from Bulgarian taxpayers.

However, on Wednesday Borisov said that Bulgaria needed "
20 years to tear down the border fortifications and now it has to build it again."


"
The border between Austria and Germany is one thing, but a border with Turkey, which hosts over 1100 FMD outbreaks, is a different thing. Now we are doing Europe's job,"
Borisov said.

The head of the Bulgarian National Veterinary Service, Yordan Voynov, has announced that the border fence will be restored with financial support by the European Commission.

Hundreds of domestic animals were slaughtered in the Bulgarian village of Rezovo, which is near the country's border with Turkey, because of positive FMD tests.

The virus was found in Bulgaria for the first time in 12 years. It is believed to have been carried to the country from Turkey.

According to Tsvetanov, the old barbed wire fence has proven that it is not good enough to stop the animals.

"
Border officers have thermal imaging equipment, so no additional burden will be imposed on the Bulgarian taxpayers,"
Tsvetanov said.

However, Turkish officials have opposed Bulgaria's idea to rebuild the border fence, which existed between the two statesduring the Cold War period, suspecting hidden agenda.

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Belarus Bans Meat Import from Bulgaria over FMD

Belarus banned temporarily sheep, goal, beef and pork meat import from Bulgaria.
Belarus has announced a temporary ban on meat import from Bulgaria because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Bulgarian Southeast.

The Belorussian Agriculture Ministry has announced that the ban is imposed on sheep, goal, beef and pork meat import from Bulgaria.

Similar measures have been imposed in Ukraine and Russia where meat and animal products were also temporarily banned over FMD.

Hundreds of domestic animals have been slaughtered this month after the first FMD case in Bulgaria was found in the village of Kosti on December 30, 2010.

The virus was first discovered in a wild hog, shot during hunting in Kosti. A second case was discovered January 17 in the nearby village of Rezovo. All infected animals have been euthanized and the village has been put under 3-month quarantine.

On Friday, the Bulgarian National Veterinary Service announced it is starting a second check for FMD, which is part of the measures that the government has taken to fight the disease.

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Bulgaria Uncovers 3rd FMD Flare in Poor Strandzha Region

13 cases of foot-and-mouth disease infected animals have been confirmed in the southeastern Bulgarian village of Gramatikovo, confirmed veterinary authorities.

This is the third flare of FMD in the southeastern Strandzha Mountains region for January, after the disease was discovered in the villages of Kosti and Rezovo.

About 1100 blood samples of animals from the region have been tested, out of which only the 13 announced Monday were found to be positive.

All animals susceptible to FMD in the village of Gramatikovo will have to be killed, which amounts to 1 cow, 38 sheep and 111 goats.

The movement of animals through Gramatikovo has been completely forbidden;
there are also limitations on the movement of persons.

Owners will be remedied in accordance with Bulgarian and EU legislation.

The sparsely populated Strandzha is not a major producer of meat in Bulgaria. Residents fare on livestock breeding and tourism.

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New FMD Outbreak Found near Bulgaria-Turkey Border

A new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been discovered in Bulgaria's Burgas district, a day before the European Commission was expected to lift the measures, imposed on the area because of the previous FMD cases.

A total of 143 animals will be killed after the virus was discovered in the tissue of cows during a routine check at a private farm near the village of Kirovo, close to the border with Turkey.

The blood samples for FMD turned out negative, which means that the contamination is a week-old, according to experts from the Food Safety Agency.

They think that the virus may have again been transmitted from wild animals because the farm is located in a forest area where the cows grazed freely.

All necessary measures have been taken to limit the infection and to eliminate the animals.

The European Commission has been notified about the situation in the Burgas district.

On Monday, samples from infected animals will be sent to a EU laboratory. Genetic tests will identify the source of the infection.

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency has ordered two surveillance areas. One will be with a radius of 3 km from the outbreak of FMD. All animals from this area will be killed.

The other area will have a radius of 10 km and all animals there will bet tested for the disease.

does anyone know if the government has imposed no travel zones for animals and if so where they are. I'm trying to find out if I can still bring horses into the country. We couldn't travel them at all when we were in the survalliance area in england. But I can't find anything on the internet.

Difficult question to answer you could try and contact the BMAF here is their website [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

brilliant thankyou.

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5th FMD Outbreak Discovered in South-east Bulgaria in 3 Weeks

Domestic livestock infected with food-and-mouth disease has been discovered in a fifth village in South-eastern Bulgaria in less than three weeks.

Veterinary units of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency carrying out routine inspections discovered Monday cases of FMD among domestic animals in the village of Bliznak, Malko Tarnovo Municipality.

The village of Bliznak is located near the village of Granichar where FMD was discovered recently some 10 km away from the border with Turkey.

A total of 22 cows, 63 buffaloes, 145 sheep, 109 goats, and 12 pigs, owned by a total of nine persons were found to be infected, and will be put to death in the village, while the owners will be compensated.

After 12 years without FMD cases, in late December all throughout February, Bulgaria saw three outbreaks of FMD originally brought into Bulgaria by a wild boar from Turkey. After several hundred domestic animals were destroyed and a number local and EC-sanctioned measures were introduced, the authorities gained the upper hand.

The first of the new FMD outbreaks was detected on March 20, 2011, in three more villages in the south-eastern Bulgarian Strandzha mountain, a day before the European Commission was expected to lift the measures, imposed on the Burgas District.

The new outbreak was found at a private farm near the village of Kirovo, close to the border with Turkey. In the next few days, FMD was also found in sheep from various villages in the poor and sparsely populated region - Goliamo Bukovo, Fakia and Momina Tsarkva near the town of Sredets.

Last week Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov announced in Parliament that the Borisov Cabinet is going to go ahead with the plans to restore some of the Cold War era fences along the Bulgarian-Turkish border in order to prevent wild animals infected with FMD from trespassing into Bulgaria and infecting the domestic livestock.