The Minister of Agriculture and Food discussed the possibilities of experience exchange with the Director of the Bureau of International Cooperation, Philippe Ame.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Institute of Animal Husbandry of France will sign a memorandum of cooperation. The Minister of Agriculture and Food, Kiril Vatev, and the Director of the Bureau of International Cooperation at the Institute, Philippe Ame agreed upon this during a meeting at the livestock exhibition in Clermont-Ferrand.
The purpose of the memorandum is to facilitate the exchange of experience in the field of selection and reproduction in the livestock sector and to give the producers new opportunities for innovation in order to improve their market presence and increase the production.
Minister Vatev invited French experts to visit Bulgaria to analyze production and the market in order to outline opportunities for increasing the income of Bulgarian livestock breeders. He emphasized to the importance of building a large modern slaughterhouse in the country and introducing a quality-based grading system to replace the current paying practice per kilogram of live weight in beef farming. At the same time, we need to structure the entire selection and reproduction system, added the Minister of Agriculture and Food.
He presented the unique qualities of the Bulgarian autochthonous breeds and their resilience, but emphasized that their productivity should be further developed.
In his turn, Philippe Ame commented on how important it is to improve the economic efficiency of the sector for investments making and accessible for reliable advice from experienced experts. "We are providing expertise and personnel in the institute who are dedicated to the cause of helping the breeders," he stated.
During the exhibition, Minister Vatev received a plaque from Interlim Genetique Service - an association of the 15 french national organization for the Limousin cattle breeders- for having created the first herd of animals of the Limousin breed in Bulgaria.
During the visit, Minister Vatev visited a dairy cattle farm in the Clermont-Ferrand region.