Bulgaria's food safety agency (BFSA) has found bird flu (Influenza A) on a farm with about 25,000 laying hens in the village of Elenino, in Stara Zagora municipality. Fairs, markets and shows of birds are now banned across Bulgaria because of the outbreak, the agency said.

Two restricted zones surround the farm. The protection zone has a 3 km radius and covers the villages of Elenino and Hristiyanovo.

The surveillance zone has a 10 km radius and includes the city of Stara Zagora itself. It also covers the villages of Mogila, Malko Kadievo, Madzherito, Zagore, Pamukchii, Badeshte, Petrovo, Kaloyanovets, Arnautito, Rakitnitsa, Kirilovo, Bogomilovo, Lyaskovo and Malka Vereya in Stara Zagora municipality, and Kolarovo in Radnevo municipality.

In both zones, birds must be kept indoors. Releasing birds to restock game is also banned. The agency will count and check the birds, step up checks on poultry farms and inspect how owners protect their birds from infection. If inspectors suspect disease, they will take samples for lab tests.

Birds, eggs, poultry meat and poultry products can be sold and moved only if the restrictions are followed.

The agency said it is applying the rules for controlling and wiping out the disease under EU and Bulgarian law. The farm, its equipment and its vehicles will be cleaned and disinfected.

The agency is also running an epidemiological investigation. It is tracing the movement of poultry and other birds, their products and animal by-products, bird feed, and the transport that serves farms in the zones.

Earlier this month, the agency found Influenza A on another farm, with about 32,920 laying hens, in the village of Trilistnik, Rakovski municipality, Plovdiv region.

Information about the disease and how to protect birds from infection is published online.