SOFIA, July 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Greece has banned imports of pork from its northern Balkan neighbor Bulgaria due to outbreaks of African swine fever, Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva said.
European Union member Bulgaria has detected more than 20 outbreaks of African swine fever in pigs in industrial farms or backyards in the northern part of the Black Sea state, culling more than 50,000 pigs in July.
Taneva told lawmakers in parliament that checks at the Bulgarian-Greek border would be stepped up and on entering Greece, the luggage of all visitors would be checked for banned meat products.
African swine fever is a highly contagious disease that affects pigs and wild boar. It does not affect humans.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian veterinary authorities said they will cull 30,000 pigs after detecting an outbreak of African swine fever at a breeding farm in northern Bulgaria, the third industrial farm hit by the fast spreading deadly virus.
The farm in the village of Goliamo Vranovo, near the Danube city of Ruse, is close to a farm where authorities are already culling 40,000 pigs. Another 14,000 pigs at another farm were culled earlier this month.
European Union member Bulgaria has so far detected more than 20 outbreaks of African swine fever at industrial or backyard farms in the northern part of the country.
Experts say Bulgaria could lose its entire pig breeding industry and have its 500,000 pigs culled due to the highly contagious disease that does not, however, affect humans. — NNN-AGENCIES
