2023-06-29 17:59:47
“We live in times that present us with many challenges, including emerging outbreaks of human and animal diseases, which make it increasingly difficult to realize our aspiration to maintain a high level of food security. But we are working together with colleagues from European countries to deal with common coordinated efforts. In such an environment, it is the sharing of experience and expertise within the increasingly limited natural resources at our disposal, and laying the foundations for direct and reliable communication between partners from neighboring countries, that is key to successfully countering these challenges,” said Deputy – the Minister of Agriculture and Food Alexander Yotsev at the opening of an international seminar on “Impact of African swine fever on local pig breeds and backyard farms in Eastern European countries”.
Sharing practices and approaches to address immediate threats to food security throughout the agri-food chain will further strengthen our scientific and practical expertise and knowledge, and add value to risk management measures, added the Deputy Minister.
The seminar is part of a large-scale DEFEND project, launched in 2018, in which more than 30 organizations from 20 countries participate. Organizers of the two-day seminar, which takes place in Sofia and via an online connection, under work package 3 of the project, are the Food Chain Risk Assessment Center and the Italian non-governmental organization “Veterinarians without Borders”. The seminar is attended by veterinary experts from Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria, as well as representatives of the World Food Organization FAO, the European Food Safety Authority EFSA and the European Office of the World Organization for Animal Health OiE.
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