Footage filmed by the organization “Invisible Animals“ (Anima International) reveals gross and systematic violations of the regulations on animal welfare, biosecurity and food safety. It concerns a livestock facility in the village of Kramolin. In Facts, we also received the signal from Stefan Dimitrov from “Invisible Animals“, because he has also signaled a number of institutions. The Food Agency (BAFSA) has carried out an inspection, and irregularities have been found on site and “the livestock facility in the village of Kramolin is under increased official control until the prescribed measures are fully implemented“. (editor’s note – the statement of the BAFSA is below the interview). Here is what Stefan Dimitrov from “Invisible Animals“ told FACTS animals“.
- Mr. Dimitrov, on footage filmed by the organization “Invisible Animals“ (Anima International), you establish gross and systematic violations of the regulatory framework in the raising of chickens and hens on the farm in the village of Kramolin. What made you show interest in the farm?
- An important part of our understanding is that organizations should act as a corrective and be a guarantor that socially significant facts will not be concealed from citizens. That is precisely why we are taking action to film and shed light on the conditions in such “farms“. As we can see from people's reaction only on the first day of the publication of these footage, there is a reason and a need to make such revelations. The specific livestock facility is not special in any particular way for us to choose it to be among those we investigate. The footage we only have from it was filmed over a fairly long period. The last one that However, what we see in it was not just cruelty and suffering, not just brutality, but abuse beyond what we expected to see, and above all, serious violations of the regulatory framework. This motivates us to publish the material immediately so that the Bulgarian Food Safety Authority can stop the operation of the “Hell Farm“ as soon as possible and to stop this torture of animals and this risk to public health.
- How long have you been observing the production there and what is happening?
- We have been aware of this facility and have been collecting data about it since October 2021. Most of the horrors that we see in this place today were visible since then, although not on such a scale - rotting corpses decomposing both in the hall itself and inside the cages among the still living hens. Piles of feces and broken eggs - decomposing biological material. Extremely low animal hygiene standards conditions. Chickens in a miserable condition with almost no feathers and a number of other problems.
The last we have as information and see from this site is from May 2025. The footage not only includes these things I talked about, on an even larger scale, but also severed heads of chickens, thrown on the floor of the hall, for some unknown reason. Many chickens outside the cages, which although we can hardly blame them for not wanting to be crammed into these cages, outside them in the hall they are not provided with water and food and are doomed to a slow death from hunger and thirst if they are not collected. And their large number raises strong suspicion that they are not collected. Such suspicion is also raised by the fact that these chickens, as well as some of the chickens in the cages, were brought there to literally cannibalize each other – to eat directly from the intestines and meat of open carcasses of other chickens.
We see also rats, sanitary conditions below all criticism, and that the cages themselves are on top of all that are in very poor condition. This leads to the fact that a number of hens are seen stuck in the metal bars of the cages and cannot free themselves. One is even seen to have reached an open wound in her leg in an attempt to free herself. She has apparently been stuck like this for a long time without anyone from the “farm“ to help her. In this way, she is doomed to a painful death from hunger and thirst, while being trampled and pecked by other hens with whom she is crammed into the cage. In 2025, we also observed that many of the hens had no food at all in the feeders of the cages.
In short, it's a horror movie. I don't know who would want to eat eggs from such a place. Moreover, it is obvious that this brutal suffering and cruelty stresses these poor birds and reduces their immunity, making them even more vulnerable to various infections. And the appallingly low hygiene conditions in this facility are in themselves the perfect place for the spread of infections, including salmonella, Escherichia coli, campylobacter, etc. I don't know what kind of food safety or quality we can talk about here at all. And eggs from this place are sold in large chains in our country, including in Sofia and other cities - it's not, say, only in Gabrovo, where the "farm" is.
- You have been following the work for a long time and you say that the animals are trapped, trampled, cannibalized and potentially left without any food. Why is this allowed?
- We cannot explain why the BFSA employees did not notice these problems earlier and before they went beyond any limits of imagination and what one can imagine as problems in such a place. However, we hope that by disclosing this case it will become clear what, how many and how inspections have been carried out since 2021, what their findings were and what measures were taken to get here.
One thing is clear - after all these years of gross, systematic violations that we see from the footage, nothing else is acceptable except immediate deregistration and closure of this place. It has long been past the point where we can talk about prescriptions, advice, fines and so on. If after all this, after everything we observe here, it is not enough for this place to be closed immediately, what should happen? Do people have to die? I don't believe that society will accept it.
- How many signals have you sent to institutions and what is the effect of them?
- We sent a signal for this specific object on June 11th – a week before we published the material – in which signal we apply a set of all the footage collected over the last 3 years. I am convinced that they clearly prove that the violations are both gross and systematic, and it cannot be said that this case is an exception to the way this place generally looks.
The signal was sent to the Bulgarian Anti-Terrorism Agency and the District Prosecutor's Office - Gabrovo, and the Bulgarian Anti-Terrorism Agency reacted quickly and the very next day they left for an inspection, which is commendable and for which we are grateful to the Agency. During the inspection, they confirmed to us by phone that they had established, in general, the same things that are visible in the footage - the place is under all kinds of criticism. What measures they will take in response to this fact, we will yet see. I do not think that society will allow any action that shows tolerance for the violations and conditions here. We also have to find out what the prosecutor's office will do.
- The website of the owner company states that the facility “meets all standards and requirements for the quality of the production“. Is that true…
- In my opinion, it is perfectly clear to everyone that such a place cannot possibly meet all standards and requirements. The truth is that this intensive livestock facility does not meet elementary requirements for either animal protection or biosecurity and food safety. It is clear to me that at the very least, when there is an increased risk of a number of infections in this place due to shockingly low sanitary conditions, this has nothing to do with “high quality of the production“.
- The farm has an extremely automated production system, in which the workforce employed is minimal. Can we say that the farm is modern and automation is a good solution…
- Automation comes from the fact that it is an intensive livestock facility for caged hens. It is clear why this happens - labor is expensive and it is cheaper to eliminate it as much as possible with the help of machines.
However, this “farm“ can hardly be called modern, since most hens in the European Union are no longer raised in cages. This technology is outdated and its time has passed. The European Union itself is discussing a ban on cages for hens, calves and other animals, and almost all large supermarket chains in our country have committed to stopping the sale of eggs with code 3 – from hens in cages – in the shortest possible time, which is commendable.
The technology of raising chickens in cages in itself brings great problems and suffering to the animals, and when combined with the obvious failure of management and complete neglect that we see in this facility, the results are not something that anyone wants to even look at.
- What risks does this type of chicken farming pose to public health…
- A lot. The main diseases that are at increased risk in a place like Kramolin are salmonella, Escherichia coli and campylobacter. These are not pleasant diseases. Their symptoms can include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, which can make it difficult to drink fluids, bloody urine, irreparable kidney damage, arthritis and even death. If bird flu spreads, it generally does not infect humans, but recently we have noticed that there are more and more cases in which people are infected. Its symptoms can include difficulty breathing, a high fever that makes a person almost unable to do anything, neurological changes, seizures, inflammation of the brain and even death.
---------------------------------------------
BABH: The livestock facility in the village of Kramolin is under enhanced official control until the prescribed measures are fully implemented
In connection with inquiries received from citizens and organizations to the Central Directorate of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA), regarding a livestock facility for cage breeding of laying hens in the village of Kramolin, the Agency specifies:
According to current European and national legislation, the breeding of laying hens in enlarged cages is permissible, provided that all regulatory requirements for animal welfare and food safety are complied with.
Following the official on-site inspection, non-conformities were identified at the facility, for which immediate action was taken – mandatory regulations have been issued, acts of administrative violations have been drawn up, and a TEMPORARY BAN ON THE MOVEMENT OF LIVE BIRDS TO AND FROM THE SITE has been IMPOSED.
The planned phased depopulation is in line with the age of the birds in the site - about 70 weeks, which corresponds to the end of the standard productive cycle for commercial laying hens. Replacing the flock of this age group is a standard technological practice, applied even in the absence of established violations. The measure is justified both by the biological characteristics and production cycle of the species, and by the need to comply with regulatory requirements. This allows to avoid unnecessary prolongation of the stay of the birds in non-compliant conditions.
The laying hens in the site are raised solely for the purpose of egg production. There is no intention to withdraw the sold products from the retail network, SINCE NO INFECTIOUS OR OTHER DISEASES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. THERE IS NO DATA ON THE PRESENCE OF A RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH.
The issued acts for establishing administrative violations have the MAXIMUM SANCTION provided for by law. The business operator does not own any other registered livestock facilities.
All actions taken are aimed at ensuring compliance with the current legislation and the implementation of adequate measures for the protection and humane treatment of animals.
The costs associated with the implementation of the prescribed measures, including depopulation, are entirely at the expense of the operator of the facility, who bears administrative and financial responsibility for the violations found.
The agency appreciates the active position of citizens and organizations, and will continue to inform the public in a timely and objective manner about all subsequent actions and results of the control, remaining ready to interact with interested parties.
(b.r. – we called the phones of the company Eco Invest 2008 EOOD several times, wrote to their e-mail, in Viber, but contact was never made. The editorial staff of FACTI bg is available if the company management decides to share about the inspections and what measures were undertaken)