site.btaUPDATED Food Safety Agency Warns of Bird Flu Outbreak in Pazardzhik Region

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) has declared an outbreak of Avian Influenza A (bird flu) in the Malo Konare village near Pazardzhik (South Central Bulgaria), the Agency said on Friday. The virus was detected in a laying hen breeding facility that keeps about 171,000 fowl.

To contain the infection and prevent its spread, actions will be taken to cull the sick and contact birds on the premises.

An epizootic survey and monitoring of the movements of poultry and other birds, eggs, products, and animal by-products derived therefrom, poultry feed, and of the means of transport related to the technological process in the establishments will be carried out.

The Pazardzhik Regional Epizootic Commission held an extraordinary meeting on Friday in connection with the detection of a bird flu outbreak in Malo Konare, the Pazardzhik Municipal Administration said in a press release.

Pazardzhik Regional Food Safety Directorate Director Georgi Chavdarov familiarized the members of the Commission with the situation surrounding the outbreak. 

A 3-kilometre protection zone has been established around the affected breeding site, which includes the Malo Konare and Dobrovnitsa villages of Pazardzhik Municipality. A 10-kilometre surveillance zone has been set up including 13 villages: Chernogorovo, Krali Marko, Pishtigovo, Govedare, Hadzhievo, Ognyanovo, Sinitovo, Miryantsi, Glavinitsa, Mokrishte, Dragor, Ivaylo and Saraya.

Organizing and holding fairs, markets and exhibitions of poulrty and release of birds for the renovation of the game stock are banned within the protection and surveillance zones. Domestic fowl, wild birds and other birds, breeding eggs, poultry meat, poultry meat products and eggs for human consumption are traded and transported solely and exclusively in strict compliance with the measures ordered by BFSA Executive Director Svetlozar Patarinski.