Livestock breeding is simultaneously the most important and the most demanding production sector, crucial both for ensuring food security and for preserving the viability of rural areas. The Minister of Agriculture and Food, Plamen Abrovsky, stated this during a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels. During the discussion of the EU Livestock Strategy and the Protein Plan, the Bulgarian agricultural minister pointed out that our country welcomes prioritizing the livestock sector as a strategic element of European food security. "We need this strategy, but to achieve success in the future, we must also be aware of the reasons that have brought livestock farming to its current state," added Minister Abrovsky.
He emphasized that in recent years, intensified internal competition, high requirements, and a significant administrative burden have made the sector less attractive to producers. According to him, the successful development of livestock breeding requires not only a strategic vision but also concrete actions to address the challenges faced by farms.
Minister Abrovsky was adamant that the EU Livestock Strategy is an important step. Still, there needs to be clarity regarding the financial resources required to implement the set priorities and the sources for their provision. "This is of key importance for the successful implementation of the strategy and for attracting banks and insurers to its execution. We believe there is a lack of medium-term actions that would help livestock farmers plan phased investments in equipment, as well as in qualified employees and farm workers," he further stated.
In relation to the Protein Plan, Minister Abrovsky pointed out that there are not enough measures foreseen to compensate livestock farmers for the higher prices of locally produced protein feed and components. He highlighted that this is especially important for small and medium-sized farms, as well as those in mountainous areas, which largely depend on purchasing feed proteins and do not have the capacity for their own production.
Plamen Abrovsky emphasized the need to ensure that measures to increase the EU's protein autonomy do not lead to a weakening of the competitiveness of European livestock farming or the creation of new administrative burdens. He insisted on sufficient flexibility in their implementation by the Member States, taking into account national characteristics, different production models, and regional specifics. During the discussion, the minister also highlighted the necessity for these measures to be accompanied by an effective mechanism for monitoring and evaluating their implementation, based on clear, comparable, and objective indicators.
In this regard, Minister Abrovsky drew attention to the difficult situation in the dairy market. "The crisis is deepening for dairy producers, and currently, there is no clear forecast for emerging from it. It is necessary to take immediate action to alleviate the pressure using all possible instruments provided by the legislation," he firmly stated.