We are working on a mutual fund with the financial participation of the state and the owners
The new Law on Veterinary Activities may introduce a National Health Insurance Fund for Farm Animals, which will operate on the principle of shared responsibility between the state and farmers as a “mutual fund”.
The idea is to finance it with funds from the state budget, mandatory contributions from farmers and others. Do you approve this funding model from all stakeholders, asked the Ministry of Agriculture in a special questionnaire.
Until the end of 2022, the current mechanism for financing the “National Program for Prevention, Surveillance, Control and Eradication of Animal Diseases, including Zoonoses in Bulgaria” is preserved. However, changes are needed from the new programming period.
In this regard, Bulgaria has studied how mutual funds work to pay financial compensation to farmers for economic losses in other member states. There are none in Estonia, Spain, Greece, Poland and Slovakia.
Germany has set up a system of funds for animal diseases. Maximum compensation payments have been set and the owners are obliged to pay installments as well as to notify the number of animals kept on a certain date. Breeders can take out additional private insurance against economic damage, for example in the event of outbreaks.
Ministry of Agriculture: It is possible that Bulgaria will decide to introduce such a mutual fund at the SFA.
Its main goal is to counteract mass epizootics by introducing compulsory health insurance for all farm animals kept on the territory of the country, which will be at the expense of the operators of livestock farms.
Revenues for the activities of the National Health Insurance Fund can mainly be collected from the state budget, European subsidies such as co-financing of measures and revenues from compulsory health insurance of farm animals.
Now is the time to express your personal opinion on the prepared changes by answering the published questionnaire. Answer the question of whether financial participation by farmers is needed in the fight against communicable diseases and zoonoses.
Also share whether you think it is right for farmers who have not introduced the necessary biosecurity measures to receive subsidies and grants from the state budget.
When do you think that the obligatory contributions of farmers should be paid for prevention against economic losses caused by the appearance of animal disease – at the beginning of the calendar year, after the annual inventory of animals in the sites or otherwise. How do you think the amount of the obligatory contributions of the farmers should be determined – the number of animals applied for support for the calendar year; the number of animals bound by an added coefficient for related to selection control; the number of animals and their corresponding production per year; special individual assessment for certain species and breeds of animals; or else.
