The Cabinet Rescinded the Decision for Mosquito Spraying by the BFSA

The government has rescinded the decision made by the caretaker cabinet, which approved funding for 2026 for mosquito spraying through the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency. This was announced by the government press office.

The decision was rescinded following an opinion regarding the practical impossibility of the BFSA to perform disinsectization activities for the control of mosquito populations during the period of May – September 2026 on state lands that have not been treated by municipalities or other institutions. A risk of violating the Public Procurement Act was also cited.

The Council of Ministers emphasized that the goal is to prevent the inefficient execution of disinfection, disinsectization, and deratization activities and to protect public resources.

Later, the Minister of Health, Katya Ivkova, explained that an expert analysis by the Ministry of Agriculture showed that such activities do not fall within the competencies of the BFSA.

“With the transfer of the budget from the agricultural department to the BFSA, there is a risk of bypassing the Public Procurement Act; as a result, the Council of Ministers today rescinded the decision of the caretaker cabinet from May 7,” stated Ivkova.

According to her, the situation is critical, but risks to public health must not be allowed. She indicated that lawful options for the rapid implementation of the necessary treatments are currently being analyzed.

The Minister explained that the problem arose after the Ministry of Health launched a public procurement process on December 22, 2025, for the implementation of DDD (disinfection, disinsectization, and deratization) activities against mosquito populations.

“During the procedure, a signal was received, and on April 9, the decision for the ranking of participants was rescinded. Subsequently, proceedings regarding the procedure were initiated at the Commission for Protection of Competition,” Ivkova added.

She assured that spraying against larvae and adult mosquitoes will begin “in the fastest possible manner” as early as May.