EC May Penalize Bulgaria over Backyard Cattle Slaughter

Bulgaria's Ministry of Agriculture and Food is preparing an action plan to solve the problem with backyard slaughter of cattle for personal consumption by end-March to avoid EU penalty. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Ministry of Agriculture and Food is preparing an action plan to solve the problem with backyard slaughter of cattle for personal consumption by end-March to avoid EU penalty.

Speaking Tuesday during a discussion on Food Act amendments with branch organizations, Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov explained that Bulgaria would be fined by the European Commission unless it took steps to solve the problem.

The amendments, as cited by the BGNES news agency, envisage a ban on backyard slaughter of cows and calves for personal consumption, stipulating that livestock slaughter should only take place at municipal slaughterhouses, licensed private sites, or mobile slaughterhouses.

The ban will not apply to pigs, sheep, lambs, goats, kids, and hens.

"The tradition of backyard cattle slaughter involves risks which must be eliminated by a veterinarian in order to avoid diseases like mad cow disease, for instance" Naydenov stated.

He made clear that the ban on backyard slaughter of cattle was in lined with requirements of the Health and Consumers Directorate-General and Commissioner Tonio Borg.

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