14 branch organisations presented another joint statement on the draft Supply Chain Act for agricultural products and food, published for public consultation on 29 July 2025.
The statement is addressed to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, and the Minister of Economy and Industry.
The document outlines three main lines of criticism:
Contradiction with European law and the principles of the free market
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The draft law is said to directly conflict with provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012.
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It is emphasised that in other EU countries there is no such restrictive state intervention in price formation, and that the only similar examples (Hungary and Romania) are already subject to infringement procedures and are experiencing high inflation.
Risks for the economic and market environment
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Restriction of competition, market distortion, price increases, and risk to food security.
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Legal uncertainty due to unclear scope of application and the possibility for the Council of Ministers to unilaterally change its scope.
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Disproportionate restrictions on the freedom to negotiate and determine prices.
Negative consequences for specific supply chain participants
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Farmers – risk of losses from unsellable produce, administrative difficulties in calculating production costs, inability to adapt to market changes.
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Wholesalers and retailers – unrealistically low mark-ups that do not cover logistics, storage, and marketing costs. Risk of refusing to trade certain products, disruption of supply chains.
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Processors – increased input prices, inability to work with Bulgarian raw materials, loss of competitiveness, restrictions on new products and innovations.
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Consumers – reduced product variety, higher prices, and growth of the shadow economy.
The statement is signed by: Association of Meat Processors in Bulgaria, Association of Soft Drinks Producers in Bulgaria, Association of Fish Products Producers BG FISH, National Vine and Wine Chamber, National Branch Union of Bakers and Confectioners, Association of Vegetable Oil Producers and Processors in Bulgaria, “Food and Beverages Bulgaria” Association, Union of Brewers in Bulgaria, Union of Fruit and Vegetable Processors, Union of Sugar and Sugar Products Producers, Union of Poultry Farmers in Bulgaria, Association of Industrial Pig Farming in Bulgaria, Association of Pig Farmers in Bulgaria, and Union of Bulgarian Millers.
