"Distrust in institutions is everywhere. This is disastrous for a country," said former Minister of Agriculture Kiril Vatev to BNR regarding the problem of sheep plague and the subsequent protests by farmers.
"Each country in the EU has a reference laboratory. All these national reference laboratories have an annual cross-test which is a comparison with the European reference laboratory which is in Montpellier. The Bulgarian reference laboratory has one of the highest ratings – 100 points. Samples are taken, given to both our laboratory and the one in Montpellier, then the results are compared to see if there is a difference. If there is no difference, it leads to a high rating," he explained.
Vatev reminded that the disease first appeared in Romania and Greece.
"Over 300 thousand were euthanized in Romania. sheep infected with plague of small ruminants. Mortality is 2% at the time of euthanasia. It is not true that we have to wait for 50-60 animals to die a day in order to understand that we have plague", he categorically stated in an interview for the show "Sunday 150". And he added that from a conversation with veterinarians, he found out that a very high level of antibodies was also detected. According to him, this means that the infection is more than 14 days old.
"If it is true that a month ago there were dead animals – I am not saying this, I am asking if it is true, which are covered – things are getting worrisome".
"We can't blame someone else for everything. We have to look at ourselves first", believes the former Minister of Agriculture, adding:
"I was personally most concerned about the crowding of people on this farm. OK – we don't believe there is an infection, but if we assume there is an infection, and farmers also went there – what happens if there is an infection – well, we took it to all the farms".
According to him, the veterinarians and the laboratory cannot be blamed.
The abuses of pastures are huge, Kiril Vatev emphasized. "Pastures cannot be distributed to people who do not have animals, and people with animals must be provided with pastures far from the animal breeding site,", he explained and reminded of the changes in the Law on the Ownership and Use of Agricultural Lands.
"Unproductive practices cannot be tolerated for the sake of getting money without a product in return. This is our biggest problem in the agrarian sector", said the former minister and asked where are the institutions that should regulate and control this process.
According to him, there is a great injustice that reflects on everyone. "This means that there are also local politicians who allow it. They belong to certain parties, from there they are tolerated and from there everything is distorted. This is where all the mistrust in all our institutions comes from. The fact that we are having such a conversation is humiliating," he commented.
He thinks that the last people who should be blamed are the minister and the director of the BBAH. And yet he expressed the opinion that the Minister of Agriculture has no useful course of action and whatever he does, he will be accused without any guilt.
"We have a lack of discipline and awareness of the risk of transferring the infection to the farm".
Regarding yesterday's protest and the inclusion of some parties in it, Kiril Vatev said that this is shameful for these parties. According to him, this is "elementary populism".