Livestock farmers from the Pleven region blocked the Pleven–Sofia road near the village of Yasen for one hour, demanding a fair distribution of the crisis aid over the drought. Traffic in the area of “Megatron” was halted between 11:00 and 12:00, with the protesters allowing vehicles through at intervals.
The farmers object to the support conditions and claim that some sectors and regions have been left out of the measure. Their main demand is that all livestock farmers who have suffered losses due to the drought be treated under equal conditions, regardless of where their farms are located.
“Enough with this division. We want a fair distribution for all livestock farmers, regardless of the region,” Galina Mircheva, who raises around 800 sheep in the village of Petarnitsa, told the Bulgarian National Radio. According to her, the scope of support in the Pleven region has been expanded to include goat farming, but not sheep farming.
“As a livestock farmer and a zoo engineer, I cannot understand why goats are included but sheep are not,” Mircheva said. The protesters point out that the drought has affected pastures, limited the availability of feed and increased the costs of feeding the animals.
Discrepancy in the Criteria
Agriculture Minister Plamen Abrovski told BNT that the aid is not distributed by region or sector. According to him, the condition is that farmers prove they suffered at least 30% production losses as a result of the drought in 2025.
“For the first time, we are directing aid where it is needed,” Plamen Abrovski said.The minister explained that the previous approach involved granting funds per animal or per decare, whereas the new measure requires proof of a specific loss. Abrovski linked the change to European support rules.
For livestock farmers from the Pleven region, the dispute remains connected to which types of animals and which regions fall within the scope of the aid. Radoslav Yavrov, who runs a family business with 150 cows, told BNT that his farm is on the brink of survival and insisted that support also be made available to affected farmers from Pleven.
Applications Open on November 10
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, applications under the crisis measure are expected to open on November 10. The ministry said that the available funds are being considered for allocation to beef and dairy cattle farming, as well as sheep farming in regions that are not covered by the measure.
Discontent is already spreading beyond the Pleven region. Livestock farmers from other regions have announced a nationwide protest for November 11 over the criteria and distribution of the funds.
Sources: bntnews.bg, bnrnews.bg, mzh.government.bg