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The European Commission reduced today the areas under restriction in Bulgaria due to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) after the successful implementation of EU rules by the Bulgarian authorities.
Since no new outbreaks have been reported since 7 April 2011 and surveillance has been implemented with satisfactory results, the Commission adopted today a decision reducing the affected areas. FMD was first diagnosed in a wild boar shot by hunters at the end of 2010 in the region of Burgas in southeast Bulgaria, close to the border with Turkey, and later testing of samples from farmed animals rendered positive FMD results. The entire Burgas region was defined as high risk area (and the surrounding regions as low-risk area) in Commission Decision 2011/44/EC prohibiting the dispatch of susceptible animals from these areas and the dispatch of products derived from susceptible animals from the high-risk area. This decision also provides for the rules applicable to the dispatch from those areas of safe products.
On May 31, the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) endorsed a Commission proposal amending that decision. It provides for the reduction of the size of the high-risk area to the three disease-stricken municipalities in the south–east of Burgas region separated from the disease-free rest of the country by a low-risk area comprising the surrounding municipalities of Sozopol, Primorkso and part of Sredets (in the Burgas region) and of the municipality of Bolyarovo and northern part of Straldzha (Yambol region).The Commission adopted today this decision, which will remain in force until 30 September 2011. The Commission will review it on the basis of the evolution of the disease situation.
Since no new outbreaks have been reported since 7 April 2011 and surveillance has been implemented with satisfactory results, the Commission adopted today a decision reducing the affected areas. FMD was first diagnosed in a wild boar shot by hunters at the end of 2010 in the region of Burgas in southeast Bulgaria, close to the border with Turkey, and later testing of samples from farmed animals rendered positive FMD results. The entire Burgas region was defined as high risk area (and the surrounding regions as low-risk area) in Commission Decision 2011/44/EC prohibiting the dispatch of susceptible animals from these areas and the dispatch of products derived from susceptible animals from the high-risk area. This decision also provides for the rules applicable to the dispatch from those areas of safe products.
On May 31, the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) endorsed a Commission proposal amending that decision. It provides for the reduction of the size of the high-risk area to the three disease-stricken municipalities in the south–east of Burgas region separated from the disease-free rest of the country by a low-risk area comprising the surrounding municipalities of Sozopol, Primorkso and part of Sredets (in the Burgas region) and of the municipality of Bolyarovo and northern part of Straldzha (Yambol region).The Commission adopted today this decision, which will remain in force until 30 September 2011. The Commission will review it on the basis of the evolution of the disease situation.
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/controlmeasures/fmd_en.htm
