Bulgaria Finds Up to 40% of Registered Livestock Exists Only on Paper

Between 30% and 40% of the livestock officially registered in Bulgaria may exist only on paper, according to caretaker Agriculture Minister Ivan Hristanov, who said recent inspections have revealed a serious gap between declared and actually present animals. In a post on social media, Hristanov explained that checks carried out by inspectors from the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency show that a significant share of registered animals cannot be physically found on farms. According to him, these are so-called “virtual animals” used to obtain subsidies and support payments without real livestock behind them. ...