Alexander Aleksiev to FACT: We are currently talking about the survival of sheep farming, literally

The Bulgarian Farmer's Cooperative is an association of four leading farms in Bulgaria, which bring over 22% of the national processed sheep milk during the autumn-winter season, i.e. the current season. And if that is good, here is how the issue with vaccines stands and how this may affect the sector… Alexander Aleksiev, owner and manager of the largest individual sheep dairy farm in the country, manager of the Bulgarian Farmer's Cooperative, speaks to FACT.

- Mr. Aleksiev, you raise the topic of the vaccine against sheep pox, but you also speak quite sharply about the hypocrisy of the system. What is not happening in our country as it should?
- I hope you are aware that the animal population in Bulgaria has been decreasing exponentially over the past 30 years. What does this tell you? Everyone has their eyes wide shut. No one dared to name the real problem - the lack of a short-term and long-term strategy for the sector. In addition, there is practically no real control by the state over over 90% of farms. This has led to a number of unethical practices and thousands of farms that do not meet European sanitary requirements. This is where the problem with smallpox comes from - the first of many diseases that are yet to hit Bulgaria for the same reason.
I feel pain caused by injustice and hypocrisy. I have dedicated a huge part of my life to building a European, highly productive farm that meets all requirements. And now I'm about to lose it, and that's because of populist decisions and pressure from people who don't raise a single animal.
In Bulgaria, being an honest and real producer is punishable by law.
I'll give you just a few examples:
-- two years ago, raw milk was declared a high-fiscal risk commodity and UNPs (unique transport numbers) were introduced, which producers submit to the National Revenue Agency. This was supposedly aimed at limiting the gray sector, but in reality, UNPs are submitted only by large producers, who have always sold with invoices anyway.

The result: an unnecessary administrative burden on the regular ones, with no effect on the irregular ones.

-- then again, the requirement to prove realized production was dropped. Until then, all farmers with “highly productive“ animals submitted invoices to the state for the dairies. After the introduction of the UNP, this requirement was dropped and what happened? We repress the real ones, we encourage the fake ones. In the same year, the number of animals for subsidy jumped by 15-20%. Pure theft.
-- another absurdity: the modular rate in direct payments. A farm with 100 sheep receives about 14% higher subsidy per animal than a farm with 1000 sheep, even though the large farm has 20-30 times higher costs.

We are probably the only sector in which participants in the shadow economy are encouraged instead of sanctioned. I will give you a simple analogy - imagine that you are a good driver and a patrol stops you. A car without a license plate, speeding and with tinted windows speeds by you, and the patrol does not react. How would you feel? I'll stop here so as not to bore you.

- Why don't you farmers support mass vaccination against smallpox?
- The truth is that farmers are divided into two opposite poles. I am the initiator of a petition against vaccination and am currently supported by farms raising over 110,000 animals. I believe that over 50% of the milk in the country comes from these farms and they will suffer the most severe consequences if vaccination is introduced.
Every day I get calls from people who are very worried about what will happen next. On the other side are colleagues who believe that vaccination is a panacea, that once it is implemented, everything will return to normal. The truth is more bitter: I believe that they are being seriously manipulated by certain private interests.
There is no need for emotions here. We need a clear strategy and a long-term plan.

- However, when we talk about vaccination, we are talking about prevention. Let's understand that there is no need for prevention, or…
- Of course, there is a need for prevention, not only against smallpox, but as a principle. The main tool for prevention is the biosecurity of farms. The law clearly outlines the requirements. After the outbreak of the infection, a number of measures were adopted by the control bodies, which are excellent in theory, but in practice unworkable. The reason - the state does not have the capacity and tools to implement effective control. That is why these measures did not work and we have come to this point.

- What signals are being sent to the public by the institutions and is something being kept secret?
- I wouldn't say it's being kept quiet. It's just being kept quiet. The reason is that the decision is extremely difficult and complex. It affects economic, social, regional and medical interests. I still hope that reason will prevail.

- What does vaccination entail? What requirements are met…
- Vaccination is an additional, not a basic measure. It is applied after all others have been exhausted. For example - for months now I have been able to sell milk only within the protection zone defined by the Bulgarian Food Safety Authority. This excludes me from the free market.
The result? For the first time in two years, the purchase price of sheep's milk in the winter fell below the summer price. The entire sector is in fear and stagnation. Dairies are waiting, the purchase is blocked. And the real producers, those who keep their animals in a barn and milk them daily, lose thousands of leva per day.
Let me explain why we are afraid of the vaccine:
Measles is a disease of Categories A, D and E according to the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2018/1882. Category A includes diseases that require immediate eradication. In Art. 49, para. 1 of the Veterinary Medical Activity Act (VMAA), a ban on prophylactic vaccination against such diseases has been introduced.
According to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/361, vaccination for Category A diseases leads to:
-- Ban on the movement of vaccinated animals from the farm
-- Ban on trade in products (milk, meat) from vaccinated animals

- Let us understand that we are talking about restrictions on the sale and marketing of milk and meat… How does this affect farmers and for how long?
- The answer is simple - when you take income out of the equation, farming ceases to be a business and becomes an expensive hobby with a predetermined end. The biggest problem is that there is no deadline. No one can say whether the restrictions will last for one year or ten. Unlike other diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, lumpy skin disease or plague, there is no fixed observation period for smallpox after vaccination. Recital 22 of the regulation states that there is not enough experience with Category A diseases. The purpose of this period is to ensure that the vaccine does not mask a latent infection. The EU simply does not have the data to set a deadline. Do you understand what a deadlock we are in?

- You are talking about vaccination without a strategy and a horizon, which turns the sector into an endless quarantine… And so for how long…
- Unfortunately, I cannot tell you for how long. We are currently talking about the survival of sheep farming, literally.
The situation is so dire that we live day by day because we do not know which will kill us first, the disease or the lack of income. Whichever came first. But the end seems predetermined.

- You have issued a declaration supported by farms with over 100,000 animals. Is there any response from the institutions…
- I am convinced that the institutions are aware. This is also the reason why there is still no solution, the least evil is being sought.

- You claim that the restrictions that will follow after vaccination will kill many times more animals than the disease itself. Quite strong words… I doubt anyone wants that…
- Yes, strong words, but the facts justify them. Nobody wants that - neither me, nor the dairies, nor the farmers, nor the state. My concerns are clear: if there is no income, raising animals becomes a social activity. And no one can sustain such a thing for long.
May God protect Bulgaria.