Bulgarian authorities are set to cull over 24,000 pigs after the country experienced its first outbreak of African swine fever since August 2019.
Veterinary authorities confirmed on Friday (3 January) the disease was present on a farm in the region of Shumen, northeast Bulgaria.
A 3km protection zone has been set up around the area of the outbreak, as well as a 10km monitoring zone, according to Bulgarian media site Sofia Globe.
The northeast of Bulgaria is known for its heavy pig production. In the Shumen district, there are approximately 65,000 pigs.
Prior to Friday's outbreak, areas of the country had declared a state of emergency following the discovery of ASF last August.
Authorities culled 130,000 pigs on six large commercial farms in the north of the country, close to the Romanian border.
It comes as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recently warned that no countries are safe from the spread of African swine fever.
A quarter of the world’s pigs could die as a result of the virus, scientists have predicted.
In the UK, sniffer dogs are currently used at border points in an effort to combat the growing threat of the disease entering the country.
Officials are ordered by the government to seize and destroy illegally imported meat products.
The disease is highly contagious and the virus can survive in pork meat products, even if cooked or frozen
