Bulgaria asks EC to suspend imports of Ukrainian eggs to regulate situation on its market
The European Commission should ban the import of eggs of Ukrainian origin to Bulgaria, as this has a negative impact on local production, Bulgarian Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov said at a meeting of the EU Council on Agriculture and Fisheries in Brussels on Monday.
"In the first six months of 2024, it (egg import) reached 2,618 tonnes, which is a fivefold increase year-on-year. The declared import prices are significantly lower than the prices for Bulgarian eggs, which puts serious pressure on prices on the domestic market," the website of the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture quoted his speech.
The minister justified the request by the fact that the protective measures adopted so far at the EU level do not provide the expected restraining effect and are not a sufficient factor to ease the situation on the egg market in Bulgaria.
"Each country monitors the normal course of business processes in its country in order to protect the interests of its agricultural producers," the minister told reporters before the meeting.
He emphasized that the goal is to find a point of contact where the rights of Bulgarian producers will be preserved.
"We are for the firm support of the people of Ukraine, but this should in no way lead to bankruptcies and violations of the rights of our farmers," the minister emphasized.
Tahov specified that this concerns fresh chicken eggs, which, in addition to great tension, has also led to bankruptcies of Bulgarian poultry farms.
Bulgaria has asked to stop importing eggs from Ukraine for the period of regulation of its internal market and has provided the European Commission with data on the basis of which a decision can be made, the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture specified.