At least half of the lamb we will buy on St. George's Day will come from Romania, North Macedonia and New Zealand, warn Bulgarian sheep farmers, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio.
According to their industry association, the normal price is up to 18 euros per kilogram of lamb.
Bulgarian lamb was sold at a price between 15 and 18 euros per kilogram on Easter, but there is almost no Bulgarian lamb left and imports are being offered on a massive scale in the retail network.
According to industry data, just over 800,000 sheep are currently being raised in the country, which is a decrease of over 8 million over the last 100 years.
Serious infectious diseases, as well as the state's refusal to offer adequate crisis support, are also contributing to the deepening of the negative trend in recent years, they say farmers.
As at Easter, now too, the Food Agency will control whether traders comply with the rules for meat traceability, and starting this year for the first time, if the meat is not fresh but frozen, traders are required to explicitly indicate the freezing and thawing dates on the label.