Bulgaria has been declared free of African Swine Fever (ASF) by the EU. As a result, Bulgaria is no longer on the list of countries with travel bans on live pigs, according to the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA). According to the latest EU reports, the country has been free of ASF detections for six months.
The European Commission’s decision takes into account the effectiveness of the monitoring and control measures of the Bulgarian inspection services, as well as the favorable epidemiological situation of classical swine fever in Bulgaria.
Classical swine fever can have serious consequences for animal populations and the profitability of agriculture, and can disrupt the transport of those animals and meat products within the EU and exports to third countries.
Scottish pig farmers have urged the British government to implement controls on imports of pork from EU countries as soon as possible to prevent the spread of swine fever to Great Britain.
The disease is currently spreading in Germany and has previously been detected in Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, and Poland. In France, authorities held a first ‘exercise’ last week to prepare for a possible first ASF report on French territory.
Scottish livestock farmers are concerned, since no controls have been conducted on incoming EU pork since Brexit in January 2021. This is due to the British customs at airports and ports not yet being fully operational.
Moreover, British pig farmers are already struggling with Brexit consequences, which have forced nearly all foreign workers at slaughterhouses to leave the country. This has severely reduced slaughter capacity, causing British pig farmers to prematurely cull nearly 20,000 pigs.
The United Kingdom has also been facing a severe shortage of truck drivers since Brexit. According to the British transport sector, there is an immediate need for 80,000 new employees. To fill these vacancies, the government is offering temporary work permits, but most truckers are reluctant to accept them.