Bulgaria recovered from ASF, but the new balance is fragile

The Bulgarian pig industry has recovered from a series of devastating African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks in 2019, which cost it around 25% of its pig population. Yet the new reality is fragile.

In local media, Dimitar Mihaylov, executive director of the Bulgarian Pig Breeders Association reflected on the country’s road to recovery. In 2024, Bulgarian pork production reached 83,000 tons, slightly exceeding the 2019 level, Mihaylov estimated.

Several problems, however, have been hindering further growth. Mihaylov said that since the outbreaks, Bulgaria’s pork export opportunities have remained limited, even though the ASF situation has dramatically improved over the last several years. It comes down to Bulgaria only being able to export to other EU countries that also are in a fight with ASF, Mihaylov said.

In addition, Bulgaria suffers from a shortage of slaughterhouses to facilitate a growth in pork production. Mihaylov commented, “Bulgarian meat processors have received significant funding through EU programmes over the past 10-15 years, but have not invested in slaughterhouses and are now loading their expanded capacity with raw materials from Western Europe.” He added that Bulgaria’s authorities have been failing to address this issue.

In 2025, the biggest threat to Bulgaria’s pig industry is coming from China, as the country recently decided to impose an anti-dumping duties on pork from various European countries. Mihaylov said, “This is another blow that follows Covid-19, ASF, the conflict in Ukraine, and a rise in raw material costs.”

He predicted that the impact will not only be seen in exports, but also the internal EU market will be plunged into an oversupply crisis. He added, “Costs of production will increase, which will once again make Europe uncompetitive in comparison to countries such as the United States and Brazil.”

As farmers struggle to keep their business afloat, Mihaylov criticised the European Commission’s initiatives to ban caged housing of pigs, poultry and calves.

He said, “The industry has estimated that it will suffer enormous losses if the European Commission’s demand to abolish caged housing is met. He concluded by saying that the initiative has been presented at an extremely challenging time for the pig industry.

Tags: Production, pig industry, outbreaks, Bulgaria, export, pork, African Swine Fever