On August 1, ongoing protests of stock-breeders were exptected turn into civil disobedience, National Association of Milk Producers chair Andriyan Tsakonski said the day before.

This step would be taken because of a lack of adequate measures of the Agriculture and Food Ministry and Agriculture fund, Tsakonski was quoted by Dnevnik daily as saying.

The farmers insist on year-round subsidies for milk as well as compensations for high prices of fodders. On July 30, the ministry announced that it would pay the March subsidies by August 4. The state had already paid nine million leva to the farmers, but this only covered the first two months of 2008.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Svetla Buchvarova said that farmers who had cheated in their declaration under the de minimis programme to get higher subsidies, would not receive their March payments.

Cabinet would buy 150 000 tons of wheat for the reserve in the beginning of August in order to stimulate prices in the grain market, Buchvarova said.

Farmers’ protests had escalated in the past two days. On July 29, farmers form the region of Kurdjali stormed the offices of regional agricultural service to protest against unpaid subsidies. Farmers were angry over the freezing of payments under Sapard pre-accession programme and the delay in other subsidies payments.

On July 30, farmers from the region of Vratsa, Pleven, Veliko Tarnovo and Plovdiv also launched protests. They blocked streets, poured milk in the streets and slaughtered animals in public. Police arrested Tsakonski when he tried to slaughter a calf. He was fined for inhuman behaviour towards an animal. Two other farmers were also arrested.