Classical swine fever

Veterinary inspectors have identified a case of African swine fever (ASF) in pig breeding farm in the Central Macedonian regional unit of Serres, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food has announced.

The ministry said national and regional veterinary teams have been sent to the area to deal with the case in line with EU and national legislation.

Greece reported a case of African swine fever (ASF) at a breeding farm in the north of the country this week, agriculture ministry announced on Friday.

The virus was detected in a dead female wild boar in the municipal unit of Petritsi, in the region of Serres, it said.

The European Commission has approved the costs that Bulgaria has incurred to combat African swine fever in 2020 and will reimburse 75% of them, the Food Agency reports.

This is the maximum allowable percentage under European legislation and the sum amounts to over BGN 15 million.

A recent sampling of pesticide residues identified in imported fruit and vegetables has shown that 1.66pct of the samples carried excessive content, below the average value of non-compliance in the European Union, which stands at 4.1pct, according to Romania's National Authority for Veterinary and Food Safety (ANSVSA).

Greek health authorities were on alert on Thursday after confirming the first African swine fever (ASF) case at a small pig farm in the region of Serres, northeastern Greece.

The Ministry of Agriculture announced on Wednesday that the disease was recorded in a family business.

More than 40,000 pigs will be put down in Varna, the reason African swine fever case.

A few days ago, new cases of ASF were registered in the village of Brestak.

The pig farm is one of the largest in the area. It employs about 130 people.

After the new case of the ASF, authorities banned the transportation of animals.

The African Swine Fever (ASF) is present in 346 localities of 26 counties (out of a total of 41 counties, ed. n.), with a number of 1,223 outbreaks (of which 13 in commercial farms and 6 in type-A farms), an increase over September 12 when 1,185 outbreaks were reported.

China, which has been hit hard by a large-scale swine fever epidemic that has led to a sharp price spike, will take out 10,000 tonnes of frozen pork from its strategic reserves to prevent any shortfall in the run-up to the '70s. Anniversary of the regime, AFP reported.

European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis arrives in Bulgaria. The reason - a meeting of experts about the African swine fever epidemic. Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva will also participate in the meeting.

The experts will discuss the spread of the contagion in Europe and outline actions to tackle the problem.

The government is allocating BGN 28 million to the Ministry of Agriculture for the payment of benefits, compensation and other expenses related to the fight against African swine fever. 75% of these will be recovered from the European Commission. This was announced by Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva after today's government session.