Vaccination of small ruminants against smallpox will not be carried out at the moment. This was said by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Georgi Tahov a few days ago. The Minister said that such decisions cannot be made under pressure, emotionally, and should not be hasty and that such decisions should be based solely on science, experience and facts, and all this should be in the interest of Bulgarian livestock breeding. Is the sector divided… Alexander Aleksiev, owner and manager of the largest individual sheep dairy farm in the country, manager of the Bulgarian Farmer's Cooperative, spoke to FACTI.
- Mr. Aleksiev, the Ministry of Agriculture decided not to vaccinate small ruminants against smallpox, citing the decreased number of outbreaks. The decision caused a deep division in the sector. Why?
- I would like to openly welcome the decision of the Ministry of Agriculture not to proceed with vaccination of small ruminants. This is a reasonable and timely step, based on the analysis of the real epizootic situation. I hope this will be the beginning of consistent and thoughtful decisions that will put the sector on a sustainable economic and management path. As for the allegations of “division“ - for me, it is artificially created and exaggerated by the media. In reality, the division is not related to vaccination. It is only between farmers who follow the rules and those who break them.
We work in the open, pay taxes, invest in biosecurity, technology, environmental practices – and thus produce 75% of Bulgarian milk, while our fellow farmers work in the gray sector, do not pay taxes, do not comply with sanitary standards and almost do not produce food.
A large part of the latter have been misled by a person who is not a livestock breeder, but imposes false theses that the vaccine is a universal solution and that people who oppose it are the “evil” in the system. The truth is exactly the opposite – real producers, who work with credits, with technology and under strict control, have the most to lose from hasty decisions without economic logic.
And if I have to be completely frank – none of those who speak so confidently from the screen have called to seek professional advice on how to make their farm more efficient, how to build biosecurity or how to optimize animal nutrition. Instead, they are looking for the easy way out - propaganda instead of solutions.
Therefore, I welcome the decision of the Ministry of Agriculture not just as a farmer, but as a person who believes that the way forward lies through economic logic, not administrative populism. As I have repeatedly emphasized - the economic aspect is the foundation of any sustainable development. This is not my opinion, but a principle that has been enshrined in classical economic theories. Adam Smith in “The Wealth of Nations“ points out that
through the interaction of individual interests, social well-being is achieved - the so-called “invisible hand“ on the market.
If we give farmers economic freedom and predictability, they will naturally strive for efficiency and quality, which in turn will lead to a stronger sector and public wealth.
- Why do some farmers want vaccinations and others don't. Why is the sector divided?
- The truth is that almost all farmers want and do vaccinate — no one denies the science. Vaccines are a fundamental tool of modern medicine and are a decisive factor in animal husbandry.
The division is not whether to vaccinate, but how, when and under what consequences to apply it.
There is a significant difference between smallpox, where vaccination is not a solution, and other diseases where it is mandatory. The main problem is that vaccinating small ruminants against smallpox automatically triggers trade restrictions that block the movement of animals, the sale of milk and the export of products. This has a direct impact on the economy of the sector.
Many people do not realize that this is not just a veterinary issue, but an economic and market process that affects thousands of farmers, processors and consumers.
That is why we need to look at the situation on a macro scale – think strategically, not emotionally. The classification of diseases and the applicable measures are not a matter of personal judgment – they are clearly spelled out in European legislation. The law is for everyone and must be applied equally, not according to momentary public pressure or individual opinions.
- It is said that outbreaks of the disease are significantly decreasing, and in recent weeks no new cases have even been registered. What problem is smallpox?
- Yes, that is true – no new smallpox outbreaks have been registered in the country for more than 20 days. The trend is clear and positive. The last cases we had were the result of the unregulated movement of animals, in which they were in the incubation period and transmitted the virus before the introduction of stricter control.
The good news is that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already actively got involved and started to limit this type of illegal transport – something that was missing as a control mechanism until recently. This is already yielding results.
In addition, the biological and seasonal factor is currently on our side – the animals are in the pens, most of them are pregnant, and winter naturally limits their movement and contacts between herds. We have all the prerequisites to completely extinguish the disease, without resorting to extreme and economically disastrous measures. Therefore, my appeal is simple - we should not hang ourselves. The disease is under control, all that remains is to show reason, discipline and trust in the institutions. And not to succumb to delusions and fear-mongering.
- Is it true that vaccination would lead to large financial losses for dairy processors, who rely heavily on the export of dairy products?
- I want to explicitly clarify, I am a farmer and I produce milk. However, part of my professional responsibility is to know the entire sector and understand the effects along the chain from production to processing and export.
I have spoken to many dairy processors, and the facts are clear: according to the economic analysis of the Ministry of Agriculture, nearly 80% of Bulgarian dairy production is aimed at export.
A large part of the enterprises that work with sheep and goat milk are entirely export-oriented. If the market closes due to the trade restrictions that follow the vaccination against smallpox, these enterprises simply will not have anyone to sell to. And with their bankruptcy, their production will also disappear from the Bulgarian table.
This is not a matter of opinion, but of elementary market logic – When exports stop, revenues shrink, businesses go bankrupt, and this leads to a chain reaction: a drop in purchase prices, inability to pay farmers and the collapse of the entire sector.
Sheep milk in Bulgaria is traditionally purchased between April and September, and the cheese produced from it is sold the following year.
If the state had decided to vaccinate, there would be neither a market nor a purchase next year, and in 2026 prices would simply collapse to levels as low as a liter of water. And that is why I ask in all seriousness: If we vaccinate animals and lose the market, what good will they be to us? Should we treat them like pets? It is important that the responsible institutions took these factors into account, instead of being misled by populist demands.
- Can a farmer decide to vaccinate his animals on his own?
- The law is clear, a farmer cannot arbitrarily decide to vaccinate his animals when a given vaccine is not approved for use by the competent authorities.
The reason is simple: there are clearly established regulations that guarantee the safety of both animals and people - producers and consumers.
In European and national legislation there are lists of prohibited substances and veterinary preparations, including vaccines, the use of which can lead to restrictions on trade and a health risk.
Therefore, not everyone can decide for themselves when and what to apply - there is order, control and responsibility. If we assume that everyone can decide for themselves whether and with what to vaccinate, this would be like everyone choosing for themselves whether to follow the Road Traffic Act. In agriculture and animal husbandry, individual action without coordination is a direct risk to the entire system.
- Since the beginning of the year, a total of 168 smallpox outbreaks have been registered in the country, concentrated mainly in the Plovdiv region. Why there? What is not done there like in people?
- I would not look for the problem in the geographical distribution of the outbreaks. The fact that the majority are concentrated in the Plovdiv region is rather the result of a specific chain of events, and not from some “weak point“ of the region.
It is clear to all specialists that this disease is not transmitted by pigeons.
The truth is simpler, although inconvenient – Animals carrying the virus were brought into the country and ended up in this particular area. From there, the disease spread through unregulated animal movement and trade, not because of the location of the farms.
- Can it be determined where exactly it came from and who is to blame?
- This is already within the powers of the institutions - the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency. Our role as producers is to comply with the measures and prevent secondary outbreaks.
The good news is that the situation is currently under control, thanks to the timely actions of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the strict control of the regional directorate in Plovdiv. The disease is localized, and if we maintain discipline, there are all the prerequisites for it to be completely eliminated without extreme measures.
- So far, the number of animals killed has already exceeded 22,000 heads. Is this a little, or a lot?
- At the moment, the number of animals killed represents about 2% of the total livestock in the country. As unpleasant as it may sound, for a virus with such high contagiousness, this is a relatively limited scale of damage. In a historical and even medical context, there have been pandemics with many times more severe consequences, including for humans.
If we look at it purely statistically, in recent years, livestock farming in Bulgaria has been losing between 3.5 and 4% of its livestock annually, without an epidemic, this is only due to poor economic conditions, the lack of a long-term strategy, personnel, poor management and weak market support.
I would even add that the sector was subject to a number of private interests, which it is time to put an end to for a better future. And here comes the logical question: When we lose thousands of animals every year for systemic economic reasons, why then does no one talk about an “economic pandemic“ in the sector?
- How are farmers whose animals are killed compensated…
- Currently, the compensation paid by the state is among the highest in the European Union – certainly higher than those in Greece or Romania.
Farmers receive an advance payment of 200 leva per head, and after completing the administrative procedure, an additional payment of between 250 and 350 leva is made, depending on the category and breed.
- In neighboring Greece, farmers resort to unlicensed vaccines against smallpox. Are there such practices in our country and what risk does this pose…
- I do not have confirmed information that farmers in Greece resort to unlicensed vaccines, but I know that the state control there is extremely strict and this is the right approach. The law must be applied without exceptions.
I have heard rumors of such attempts in our country, but I have no evidence or specific cases.
If there are indeed farmers who are considering such actions, I ask them not to do it.
This is not just a violation, but a direct risk to the animals and to the entire system, including themselves. The reason is very clear - in laboratory testing, there is no mechanism to distinguish between a vaccinated and an infected animal. The moment a positive sample is reported, the herd is subject to euthanasia. In other words, illegal vaccination is equivalent to signing the death warrant of one's own farm.
There is no room for improvisation here. The sector needs discipline, not panic. Anyone who takes arbitrary actions not only risks their herd, but also puts their colleagues at risk. These funds are completely sufficient for farms that breed autochthonous (local) breeds, since the costs of repopulation there are relatively lower. However, for highly productive breeds used in intensive farms, such as those that produce 400-500 liters of milk per sheep per year, the compensation is extremely insufficient. The costs of genetics, import, adaptation, quarantine and feeding many times exceed the indicated amounts. Therefore, any measure that limits exports is detrimental.