March 6, 2007

Bulgaria reports another case of classical swine fever
 

Veterinary authorities started a cull of 285 pigs in eastern Bulgaria following an outbreak of classical swine fever, according to the Bulgarian agriculture ministry.

The disease broke out in the village of Zlatar, where animals at two farms contracted the virus by drinking infected water following an earlier outbreak in the region last month.

The agriculture ministry said in a statement that the outbreak, confirmed by the Sofia laboratory, have been the disease's second occurrence in the country which is connected with the earlier recurrence in the region a month ago.

Bulgaria--a newcomer for the European Union--has culled over 600 pigs since last year in an attempt to eradicate the disease and convince Brussels to lift a ban on its live pigs and pork exports by September.

In December Russia threatened to ban imports of meat products from the EU citing concerns over animal health in Bulgaria and Romania.