Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Cheap lamb from North Macedonia undercuts prices in Bulgaria before Easter

The blue health mark guarantees that lamb is produced in a Bulgarian farm

Meat producers urge customers to buy directly from the farms

Photo: BGNES

Most Bulgarians serve lamb meat or lamb meals at their Easter table. However, are they going to be able to buy lamb and at what price?

Bulgarian farmers will be able to meet market demand, contends Simeon Karakolev, Chairman of the Bulgarian Sheep and Goat Breeding Association. “The good news is that most lambs are bought directly from the farms, because customers and producers benefit from the short supply chains”, Simeon Karakolev noted.

Krasimir Burmov, who breeds 900 sheep in his farm and has 500 lambs, is not that optimistic:

There are no animals in Bulgaria- Krasimir Burmov contends. - In recent years, the government engaged in empty talk about priorities and financial assistance. In the past, there were 11 to 12 million sheep in Bulgaria, whereas now there are only half a million sheep. In other words, it will be difficult to meet the domestic demand and the rest of the meat should come from abroad. Bulgaria is able to produce only 150 to 200 grams of lamb meat per capita, which is ridiculous.”


Price of lamb meat should increase with 50%. Bulgarian farmers will be able to survive, if a kilogram of lamb meat costs between EUR 11 and EUR 12.50, contends Krasimir Burmov. However, one of the large retail chains has started to import huge quantities of cheap lamb from North Macedonia.

Firstly, there is no excise duty on the imports of lamb meat- Simeon Karakolev explains. Moreover, animals in North Macedonia still eat animal carcass flour instead of expensive fodder, while in Bulgaria and the other EU countries this is impossible. It turns out that the efforts of Bulgarian farmers will go in vain, because a large retailer, which is expected to make a profit to the tune of EUR 200,000, sells lamb at lower prices. That is why I called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to give the same amount of money to the retail chain, in order to avoid such dramas in the future. Let us not forget that there is a war not far from Bulgaria and food security has been recently on the agenda.”


The quality of lamb depends on the health mark on the raw meat. A blue health mark means that the product is produced in Bulgaria and the red health mark indicates that the meat was produced abroad.

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency monitors the imports and supply of lamb meat, Simeon Karakolev reminds.

“Those who are not able to go to a Bulgarian village or a sheep farm find themselves in a dilemma whether to buy Bulgarian meat or imported lamb which is EUR 1.50 to EUR 2 cheaper. Consumers should choose Bulgarian products. Thus, they support local producers. They must not forget that the blue health mark indicates that Bulgaria is the meat’s country of origin.

Compiled by: Diana Tsankova (interviews by Veselina Milanova, BNR-Horizont)

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

Photos: BGNES


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The election is over, when will the next election be?

Voting by force of habit. Voting with the last ounce of hope that tomorrow everything will be all right and we shall only be talking to each other about elections in four years’ time. Voting with a sense of bitterness – at politicians, at our own..

updated on 10/28/24 2:38 PM
Nadya Stoyanova

Nadya Stoyanova, Boston: We all carry Bulgaria in our hearts, elections are a moment when we can prove it

Bulgarians who gathered in front of the polling station in Norwalk, Connecticut - USA danced a traditional horo dance, we learned from Nadya Ullman, a member of the board of directors of the Bulgarian Center in New England , USA. Election day there..

published on 10/28/24 10:35 AM
Polling station in Las Vegas

Fewer and fewer Bulgarians vote in Las Vegas

Why I vote - a question that guides our actions on election day. "People who can't answer don't generally vote," says Ventsy Georgiev. He is a member of the Las Vegas polling station, USA. He says that nearly 7,800 Bulgarians live in this American city ,..

published on 10/28/24 9:13 AM