Bulgaria: Livestock and Products Annual
Bulgaria’s livestock industry performed well in 2018 and the swine sector experienced its most productive year in a decade. Farms continued to get larger and more efficient, and overall industry concentration and consolidation intensified. Meat consumption was stable and pork continued to be the most widely produced and consumed red meat. Higher disposable incomes and solid growth in the food service industry drove consumption. However, in July 2019, African swine fever (ASF) spread throughout Northern Bulgaria and negatively affected the pork industry. To date, over 20 percent of Bulgaria’s hog inventory has been culled. Post expects that the domestic pork sector will need several years to recover and that pork imports are likely to increase soon.