site.btaCulling of Animals in Areas Affected by Ovine Rinderpest Temporarily Halted

Sofia, July 19 (BTA) - Meeting on Wednesday, the ovine rinderpest task force postponed planned euthanasia on Thursday of animals in areas affected by ovine rinderpest (also known as peste des petits ruminants (PPR)), the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

The Agriculture, Food and Forests Ministry too issued a press release saying that every ovine rinderpest-related order issued by the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) is based on memorandums of disease samples that tested positive.

Interior Minister Valentin Radev and Agriculture Minister Roumen Porozhanov have demanded to take part in a hearing in Parliament on Friday, so that the ovine rinderpest task force receives Parliament's support for the measures to contain the outbreaks.

On Wednesday Radev said that without full political support, the actions in the place of the outbreaks may be hard to carry out. "We cannot be trying to save the State and have people oppose our efforts," Radev said. "This a threat to the national security," Radev said, describing the acts of opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Kornelia Ninova who on Wednesday was present at a protest rally of animal breeders in Sofia.

At the meeting of the task force, BFSA showed the memorandums with the results of all testings sent to a French laboratory. Additional results are yet to be received about some population centres.