Beef cattle farmers will hold a national protest in front of the National Assembly on November 11 over their exclusion from crisis support for damage caused by the drought in 2025. The application period for affected farmers begins a day earlier, but farmers raising beef cattle will not be able to apply under the scheme.
Stoyan Hristov raises 140 Bulgarian Grey cattle at a farm in the village of Prisovo, Veliko Tarnovo region. He says that for two consecutive summers he transported water for the animals because water sources had dried up, while his costs also increased due to expensive feed.
“Never before in my career have cattle farmers been divided into beef and dairy producers under crisis measures,” Hristov says.He points out that his farm is located between three land areas affected by the drought. According to Hristov, his animals and a neighboring farmer’s dairy cows grazed under identical conditions, and the farmers bought feed at similar prices. Nevertheless, dairy cows will receive support, while beef cattle remain excluded.
“I don’t see what the difference is between a beef cow and a dairy cow—both one and the other eat,” comments Petar Dundin from Prisovo.
Ivelin Kralev from the village of Kladni dyal says that throughout the summer he delivered water by tanker to the pastures because there were no water sources there. He also says he bought expensive feed and that the aid he calls “the Iranian aid” did not reach beef cattle farmers.
Ivan Raykov from the village of Todyuvtsi says that in 2025 he transported water for around two months. His hay reserves, gathered in July, ran out as early as the beginning of February, after which he began buying feed.
What the Ministry of Agriculture says
The Ministry of Agriculture says that one of the requirements for European support under the regulation is that the damage caused must have resulted in a loss of at least 30% of average annual production compared with the previous three years.
Possible solutions under discussion include redirecting remaining funds from the dairy to the beef sector under coupled support for 2026 and using available funding under the de minimis aid scheme. According to preliminary estimates, it could be directed to beef and dairy cattle farming and sheep farming in the regions that do not fall within the scope of the crisis intervention.
Before the protest, the farmers are expecting a specific decision on support for farms affected by the drought.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg