Reuters reports that the industrial farm is the second in the country to be hit by the virus in the last five days. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency said that it had confirmed four new outbreaks of African swine fever on 8 January, resulting in a three-kilometre protection zone and a 10km monitoring zone.

Speaking to The Sofia Globe, the agency stated that local authorities are following control and eradication measures in accordance with European and national legislation and the Emergency Control Plan for African swine fever.

“Humane killing and disposal of all pigs, infected and those that have been in contact with them, at the affected sites is forthcoming, subject to regulatory requirements,” the agency said.

Last year the virus hit six breeding farms in the Balkan country, forcing the authorities to cull more than 130,000 pigs.

The current outbreak was detected at a farm in the village of Brestak, in the region of the Black Sea city of Varna, the food safety agency said.