Turkish Forum

Tag: FMD

  • Bulgaria: Turkey Moves to Protect Itself from Bulgaria’s FMD Outbreak

    Bulgaria: Turkey Moves to Protect Itself from Bulgaria’s FMD Outbreak

    Turkish regions along the Bulgarian border are taking measures to prevent the spread of food-and-mouth disease from Bulgaria even though the Bulgarian authorities claim the infection came from Turkey.

    Turkey is moving to immunize the livestock along its Bulgarian border over FMD. Photo by BGNES
    Turkey is moving to immunize the livestock along its Bulgarian border over FMD. Photo by BGNES

    The Turkish authorities have suspended all movement or evacuation of animals in the region of Kirklareli, known in Bulgaria as Lozengrad, the Bulgarian national radio reported citing Hasan Cebi, head of the agricultural directorate in the province.

    The measure will be in place until May 9, 2011. What is more, the authorities in European Turkey are moving to start immunization of local domestic animals against FMD. According to EU sources, the European Commission has provided Turkey with 850 000 immunization doses even though the Turkish state has not provided official information.

    “We’ve introduced these measures because of the FMD outbreak in Bulgaria. We have urged the local population to be careful in order not to allow the spread of the disease,” the Kirklareli official is quoted as saying.

    In January-February and then again since mid March Bulgaria has been struggling to contain the spread of FMD, a disease that does not affect humans is devastating to livestock; because of it, on Wednesday the Bulgarian government decided to restore the Cold War fences along the Turkish border since it is believed that wild animals brought the infection from Turkey. The Bulgarian authorities have slaughtered thousands of animals to contain the FMD in the recent months.

    FMD is not dangerous for humans but is devastating for livestock.

    via Bulgaria: Turkey Moves to Protect Itself from Bulgaria’s FMD Outbreak – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.

  • Bulgaria to build a fence along Turkish border

    Bulgaria to build a fence along Turkish border

    The Bulgarian Government will finally build a fence along the border with Turkey, after a second outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) since January has threatened local farmers with devastation, Bulgarian media reported.

    turkey border fence

    The decision was taken on March 30 2011, Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naidenov said.

    Hundreds of farmers in the southeast of Bulgaria, an area close to Turkey and recently ravaged by repeated outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, have vowed to defend their animals, saying they would rather be killed first than have their animals destroyed after another outbreak of FMD struck last week.

    The stockbreeders wrote a lengthy letter to Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for international co-operation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, in which they demanded that they are provided with real assistance; furthermore, they demanded to know why the Government was hesitating and refusing to build a fence along the Turkish border after the first FMD outbreak in January

    After the January outbreak, Bulgarian authorities deliberated and hesitated about the fence project, while the authorities in Turkey were staunchly opposed to it, saying there was “no FMD” in their country, and the fence simply served as a division between Christianity and Islam. But Bulgarian officials disagreed, saying there were more than 1000 confirmed sites of FMD in Turkey.

    “We will build a fence along the border which will prevent animals from venturing freely into Bulgaria, it is about limiting their movement,” Naidenov said.

    This time the Bulgarian Government decision reportedly is a “firm one” having admitted that “it was taken too late” but as far as the farmers in the region are concerned, it is better late than never.

    Thousands of farm animals in the Strandzha region have been marked earmarked for destruction as the new outbreak of foot-and-mouth FMD was detected in the region of Sredets last week.

    But the operation to cull the animals was being hampered by a protest organised by stock-breeders who are accused the Government of incompetence and threatened to fight “and risk their own lives” to save their animals.

    via Bulgaria to build a fence along Turkish border – official – Bulgaria – The Sofia Echo.