WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/1072 
17 March 2011 
 (11-1356) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE SITUATION IN BULGARIA 
 
Communication from the European Union
 
  
 The following communication, received on 15 Marc h 2011, is being circulated at the request 
of the delegation of the European Union
. 
 
_______________ 
  
I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
1. On Wednesday 5 January 2011, the Bulgarian au thorities confirmed a case of foot and mouth 
disease (FMD) in one of three wild boars shot on 30 December 2010 in the municipality of Malko 
Tarnovo, Burgas region, around 2 km from the border with Turkey. 
2. Bulgaria has implemented the measures in th e framework of Council Directive 2003/85/EC of 
29 September 2003 on EU measures for the contro l of foot-and-mouth disease.  The measures 
provided for in the Directive include epidemiological investigation, suspension of hunting and a ban in feeding wild animals, placing under official su rveillance holdings keeping animals of susceptible 
species, inspection by an official veterinarian of  all wild animals shot or found dead, surveillance 
programmes and prevention measures applicable to  the holdings keeping animals of susceptible 
species and if necessary, in its surroundings, includ ing the transport and movement of animals of 
susceptible species within, fro m and to the area, etc. 
3. The Bulgarian authorities established a protection zone of 3 km and a surveillance zone of 
10 km radius around Kosti and launched a sero-epid emiological surveillance programme within the 
surveillance zone and in all villages and settlement s in the municipalities of Sredets, Malko Tarnovo 
and Tsarevo. 
4. As a result of the sero-epidemiological inves tigations, the Bulgarian authorities detected, on 
9 January 2011, domestic  animals reacting positively to a test fo r the detection of antibodies to non-
structural proteins (NSP) and declared an outbreak  in Kosti village, Tsarevo municipality, region of 
Burgas.  According to EU legislation, the anim als of susceptible species on the outbreak holdings 
were culled and buried. 
5. On 15 January  2011, mouth and feet lesions were fou nd in cattle in Resovo village, Tsarevo 
municipality, located 22 km south-east of Kosti village, and the presence of FMD-virus was subsequently confirmed by laboratory testing ca rried out on samples taken in that village. 
6. Furthermore, on samples taken one incubation pe riod of 21 days after the first sampling from 
FMD susceptible animals in th e surveillance zone around Kosti, FMD was confirmed on 
31 January 2011 in Gramatikovo  village, Malko Tarnovo municipality, in previously NSP-antibody 
negative animals. G/SPS/GEN/1072 
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 7. So far, other susceptible animals sampled with in the second and third sampling round in the 
other municipalities of Burgas' region tested ne gative to antibodies against the FMD virus. 
II. ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
8. On Thursday 6 January 2011 the European Commission adopted Commission Decision 
2011/8/EU concerning interim protection measur es against foot-and-mouth disease in Bulgaria. 
9. The decision defined high-risk (Annex I) a nd low-risk (Annex II) areas, prohibiting the 
dispatch of susceptible animals from both these ar eas and the dispatch of products derived from 
susceptible animals from the high-risk area.  This deci sion also provides for the rules applicable to the 
dispatch of safe products from those areas. Turkey WB= 
Wild boar
Outbreak 3: Gramatikovo Outbreak 1: Kosti 
Outbreak 2: Rezovo  G/SPS/GEN/1072 
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  10. It is important to note that the prohibition of dispatch includes the prohibition on exports to 
third countries. 
 
 
 
 
 11. Following unanimous support from all the EU me mber States at the meeting of the Standing 
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) on 12 January 2011, the European 
Commission adopted, on Wednesday 19 January 2011, Commission Decision 2011/44/EU concerning protection measures against foot-and-mouth disease in Bulgaria which repeals and replaces 
Commission Decision 2011/8/EU.  The decision confirmed the definition of the high-risk areas 
(Annex I) and extended the low-risk areas (Annex II) by two more provinces, prohibiting the dispatch 
of susceptible animals from both these areas and th e dispatch of products derived from susceptible 
animals from the high-risk area until 31 March 2011.   This decision also provides for the rules 
applicable to the dispatch of safe products from those areas. Additional restriction areas under national legislation ANNEX II ANNEX I G/SPS/GEN/1072 
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12. In the light of the favourable evolution of th e disease situation, given that no new outbreaks 
have been reported since 31 January 2011 and surv eillance has been implemented with satisfactory 
results in Bulgaria, the European Commission reviewed Decision 2011/44/EU during the SCoFCAH 
meeting on 1 March 2011 by reducing the size of the high-risk area to two municipalities only (Malko Tarnovo and Tsarevo - Annex I) and including in the low-risk area (Annex II) only the three 
surrounding municipalities of the Burgas region.  The revised Decision was unanimously supported 
by the EU member States.  It will be formally a dopted by the European Commission and it shall apply 
until 30 April 2011. 
 ANNEX II ANNEX I  G/SPS/GEN/1072 
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13. The European Commission has regularly dispat ched information to international trade 
partners on the evolution of the FMD situation in Bulgaria and on the actions undertaken to prevent 
any spread of disease from the affected area, including trade restrictions.  
14. For further information, a chronology of the ma in events and actions taken by the European 
Commission is available on the web: http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/di seases/controlmeasures/fmd_en.htm .
 
 
 
 
__________ ANNEX II ANNEX I Turkey