site.btaSmart Poultry World Forum Opens in Sofia

The Smart Poultry World Forum opened on Tuesday at the Inter Expo Centre in Sofia, said the organizers from the Board of the Union of Poultry Breeders in Bulgaria. The forum's programme includes an exhibition and an international conference focused on the fight against the spread of bird flu, the Bulgarian and European mechanisms for financing and supporting the sector in the period 2024-2029, as well as the creation of sustainability in poultry farming.

Ivaylo Galabov, Chair of the Board of the Union of Poultry Breeders in Bulgaria, said that this forum is a place to present technological achievements and innovations to the wider poultry community of the region, including hatchery systems for growing and monitoring, and complex solutions for energy efficiency and digitalization. He emphasised that poultry farming has deservedly established itself as one of the pillars of agriculture and the food industry, but in order to defend its place it undoubtedly needs high technology.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Lozana Vassileva said that poultry farming is among the most innovative sectors in animal husbandry, characterised by widespread mechanisation and automation of production processes, which ensures highly efficient industrial production. She cited data that confirm the good development of the sector in recent years and noted that there is also a consolidation of farms in the sector, with a trend forming to increase the production of white meat. Vassileva pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food has guaranteed a budget for the poultry sector of BGN 242 million for the 2024-2029 period, which is BGN 70 million more than for the previous period. 

Dobri Mitrev, Chair of the Board of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that the Union of Poultry Breeders in Bulgaria is one of the most active members of the Chamber of Commerce, and together they often try to solve not only problems of the sector but also general employer problems.