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Bulgaria declares state of emergency as disease spreads

Bulgaria has declared a state of emergency after the country had to cull 130,000 pigs in two weeks due to the spread of African Swine Fever.  According to the Swine Health Information Center’s latest surveillance report, the disease has infected animals on backyard farms and has now also spread to 6 large commercial farms in the country.

The country’s agriculture minister says sanitary zones have been set up around all registered commercial operations and small, private pig farms and home-bred animals without biosecurity measures will not be allowed in the zones. 

Last week, the first two cases of ASF in Southwestern Bulgaria were reported in wild boars. 

African Swine Fever does not impact people and poses no food safety risks, but it is highly contagious and is a deadly virus that affects hogs. Outbreaks have been identified in China, Belgium, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Cambodia, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and South Africa.