It has come to light that the Bulgarian Government has spared ‘Penka’ – an in-calf cow which “illegally” crossed the EU border into Serbia without the proper clearance from the authorities – after an international outcry.
Last month, Penka the cow escaped from her farm in Bulgaria and crossed into the neighbouring country of Serbia – leaving the European Union without the necessary documentation.
The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, fielded questions on the matter at a press conference – which was organised to discuss the publication of legislative proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2020 – in Brussels recently.
Also Read: Cow to be slaughtered for wandering across border…with no papersThe cow was returned to her owner after two weeks.
But, under EU guidelines, animals must have documents certifying their health before crossing the border – so Bulgarian authorities ordered the cow to be put down, according to international news agency Reuters.
“It is expected that the animal will be allowed back to her former home in the village of Mazarachevo by the end of the week,” the agency allegedly said in a statement.
An online petition to ‘Save Penka the cow’ reportedly garnered over 30,000 signatures before Penka received the all-clear.
British MEP John Flack wrote to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani in an attempt to save the animal, Reuters added.