Two million laying hens have been culled in Bulgaria since an outbreak of avian influenza began in October. Over 40% of laying hens are affected by the disease. 

These alarming figures were reported to BNR by Ivaylo Galabov, chairman of the Union of Poultry Breeders in Bulgaria. According to him, this sector of the poultry industry was the most developed and export-oriented, as Bulgaria exported about 20% of egg production, and now a large part of export contracts will remain unfulfilled. 

"We are losing huge positions in almost all segments of the Bulgarian livestock industry. We import a huge amount of pork, we import over 50% of chicken, we import eggs from Ukraine which are produced to much lower quality standards. It is unbelievable how we are creating unfair competition. War is not the explanation for this problem," he concluded.