Twenty nationally represented organizations from the food and beverage industry, agriculture, and livestock farming are demanding changes to Bulgaria’s draft budget for 2026. This became clear from a position submitted to BTA.
The document warns that, in its current form, the bill proposed by the Ministry of Finance puts at risk the very survival of real producers of Bulgarian food — livestock farmers, processors, and crop growers who ensure the country’s food security.
Among the organizations that signed the position are: the National Association of Dairy Processors (NADP), the Association of Agricultural Producers in Bulgaria (AAPB), the Bulgarian Farmers’ Cooperative, the Bulgarian Pig Breeders’ Association (BPBA), the Association of Dairy Processors in Bulgaria (ADPB), the Union of Poultry Breeders in Bulgaria (UPBB), the Agricultural Academy, the National Branch Union of Bakers and Confectioners (NBUBC), the Association of Industrial Pig Farming in Bulgaria (AIPFB), the Breeding Association of Bulgarian Cattle Breeds – Rhodope Short-Horned, Bulgarian Rhodope, Iskar (BABCB-RSH, BR, I), the National Union of Gardeners in Bulgaria (NUGB), the Pastoral Livestock Association (PLA), the United Bulgarian Beekeepers Union (UBBU), the Food Industry Union at FSTU, the Meat Cattle Breeding Chamber (MCBC), the Association for Breeding and Preservation of the East Balkan Pig (ARBEBP), the Business University Association in the Food Industry and Tourism (BUAFIT), the National Bio Association (NBA), and the University of Food Technologies – Plovdiv.
In their position, the organizations express strong disagreement with the planned increase in pension insurance contributions and the dividend tax, as well as the introduction of mandatory use of state-approved sales management software (SUSMP) in commercial outlets.
According to them, these measures will place an additional burden on small and medium-sized farms, which are already operating on the brink of survival, and will hinder investments in biosecurity, equipment, innovation, and sustainable practices. The organizations warn that such developments may lead to bankruptcies and the disappearance of many high-quality Bulgarian food products from the market.
The document further states that increasing the tax and social security burden will accelerate the outflow of young people from the sector and stimulate the grey economy, leading to declining production quality and shrinking markets. According to the organizations, this will harm the rural economy and slow down the overall economic growth of the country.
Regarding the introduction of SUSMP, the organizations note that the measure will impose additional costs on the agricultural sector and that the proposed deadlines are unrealistic, as there is no clarity regarding the technical requirements and regulations for implementing the software.
