Important: Hungary bans transit of livestock to Turkey via Bulgaria

In response to a notification from the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture regarding the forecast of extremely high temperatures in Bulgaria in the coming days, the State Food and Veterinary Office (SVVT) informs of a temporary restriction on the movement of cattle through Hungarian territory to Turkey via Bulgaria. As of this week, the new restrictions on the movement of bovine animals to the EU are to be applied to the country.24 June until further notice, long-distance transport of bovine animals is prohibited, both in transit through Hungarian territory and to Hungary as the final point of destination. 

Important! Transports of livestock to Turkey cannot continue from Hungarian checkpoints if the animals are transported without air-conditioning systems. This restriction applies until further notice by the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. It may be reviewed in the event of changes in weather conditions and in the light of their impact on animal welfare during transport.

The HMVT asks all interested parties, transport companies, transporters, exporters and importers to strictly comply with the current animal welfare requirements for the transport of animals across the territory of the European Union, ensuring that all vehicles are equipped with appropriate climate control measures. VMVT officials will assess the suitability of the vehicles, the health and welfare of the animals, and the air temperature from the place of loading to the place of destination, and will only issue certificates for consignments of animals that are transported under the correct conditions specified by animal welfare and other EU Member States' services.

It is important to understand that the competent authorities of the EU Member States take their decisions in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations and other official information available on the European Commission website.