The Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovski sent official letters to the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christoph Hansen requesting that the European Commission take extraordinary measures for financial support for Bulgarian producers of cow's milk and fattened pigs. The institution's actions are dictated by the continued unfavorable development of the market situation in both sectors, in which purchase prices do not cover production costs and create serious difficulties for farmers.
In the dairy sector, since the beginning of 2026, the share of deliveries realized below the cost of production has been continuously increasing, which leads to significant financial losses for producers, difficulties in servicing investment loans and a real risk of production cessation. The letter states that our country has repeatedly raised the issue of the need for European support during the meetings of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council.
The situation is similar in the “Pig Breeding“ sector, in which the unfavorable trend has continued since 2024, and production costs already significantly exceed purchase prices. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food analyses report a significant decline in the number of slaughtered fattened pigs.
In both letters to the Commission, Bulgaria insists on applying the provisions of Art. 219 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and providing us with extraordinary financial support from the agricultural reserve in order to limit the consequences of the market crisis and preserve the production potential in both sectors.