Minister of Agriculture and Food Kiril Vatev participated in a ministerial conference on "Bioprotection and vaccination: basic tools for the prevention, control and eradication of animal diseases", which was held in Brussels, Belgium. The event was organized under the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union, hosted by Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and FederalMinister of Agriculture David Clarinval.
Ministers, heads of veterinary services of countries inside and outside Europe, representatives of the European Commission, international organizations, experts, and key stakeholders attended the conference.
The participants highlighted the importance of a preventive approach based on biosecurity and vaccination in the fight against animal diseases in view of the latest scientific studies, innovations and good examples in the prevention and control of diseases. Particular attention was paid to two diseases that cause significant economic losses to the pig and poultry industries globally, namely African swine fever and highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Recent date was presented on the large-scale spread of the two diseases, followed by a discussion on future prospects for control within the latest updates to European legislation. France and the Netherlands shared valuable experiences and challenges with vaccination of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The event ended with a round table concluding that biosecurity is a key and fundamental factor in disease prevention and control, but additional strategies and vaccination are needed also.