Hundreds of tons of meat of unknown origin, with changed labels, have been found in warehouses in different parts of Bulgaria, and the scheme has been operating for years. This was stated in "The Day Begins" on BNT by Ivan Hristanov, Acting Minister of Agriculture.
"The fact that there is a network was also the reason why the BFSA signaled both the prosecutor's office and the Directorate General of Food Safety and Agriculture.
There are more warehouses in the Varna region, in the Pleven region, in the Dimitrovgrad region. The quantities that we find, which must be destroyed, which have changed labels, of unknown origin, are literally hundreds of tons. This is very disturbing. Such a warehouse cannot appear in a day or two, in a month, this is something that has been operating for a long time."
Hristanov is categorical that the schemes for trading in smuggled meat are at a national level.
"It is already clear that they are at a national level. We see other sites in the Burgas region, in the Varna region, in the Lovech region. There, inspections are still pending. What we saw from day one was truly very disturbing. The picture was very ugly, but far uglier is that this network for smuggling animals, illegal movement of animals on the territory of Bulgaria, then illegal cutting and distribution has been operating not for months, but for years. It is evident from the remains that we find. The only way for it to function is for no one to pay attention. We talked to colleagues from the territorial directorates of the Bulgarian Food and Drug Administration. They shared that they had repeatedly submitted reports to management, but these reports were usually left unanswered, with absolutely no follow-up reaction. This is the big problem we are currently facing.
The minister rejected the accusations of a purge and of appointing his own people.
"If we want to get the job done, we have to hire people who do the job."
"This office will not be a vacation, we have very clear tasks - solid work for the benefit of society, all kinds of schemes will be shown so that this illumination cannot be swept away again."
Hristanov pointed out that the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the police are currently showing that they can act extremely actively.
"The moment we issued the order that all illegal movement of animals on the territory of Bulgaria would be stopped, all kinds of videos immediately started appearing on social networks saying that this would block the Easter market. I ask the question: well, last year, when there were 192 outbreaks, covering a total of 25,000 animals that had to be killed, when there was not enough control of movement, the police were not active enough - is that what we actually want for this year? Because the same people who today say: "But why are you making the movement of animals complicated, banning the illegal movement of animals", in two months, if there is another epidemic, will say: "But what are you doing, why are you killing animals?" So we have to take stock. If we want to eat normal, clean food, if we don't want there to be illegal slaughterhouses and illegal movement of meat in commercial establishments, there must be a strong state. We have already seen what a weak state leads to - in Ihtiman, Kardzhali, Varna and Pleven regions."
According to the acting Minister of Agriculture, there is no institutional pressure.
"We will not allow state bodies to become a truncheon in relation to anyone."