A protest initiative called "Weeks in a Cage" has begun outside the National Assembly, with the organization Invisible Animals seeking to remind lawmakers of a promise that has yet to be fulfilled: a law banning the practice of raising calves in individual isolation crates. The protest will last at least two weeks, with volunteers on duty around the clock in 12-hour shifts — roughly 200 people in total, according to the organization's chairman, Stefan Dimitrov.
According to him, the law still allows a calf to be separated from its mother immediately after birth. It then spends months confined behind iron bars in a narrow crate, with almost no room to move. "This is inhumane, and it is cruel. It's something that has no place in the 21st century," Dimitrov said.
He recalled that in June the organization submitted more than 150,000 signatures to parliament — one of the largest petitions in Bulgaria's history. Surveys show that 82% of Bulgarians support ending this practice. "What's more, 50 members of parliament promised before the elections that they would support legislative changes to restrict the raising of calves in individual crates. So far, no such changes have been made, and we are here to remind these MPs and the National Assembly of the commitment they made and the answer they owe on this moral issue," Dimitrov said.
Behind the cause stand 150,000 Bulgarian citizens and 82% of society, he noted. It is also backed by experts, veterinarians, farmers and some of the largest and most representative industry organizations in the sector. Farmers who have already removed the crates from their farms report positive results. Since making the change, their calves develop better, get sick less often, and mortality rates have dropped. The outcomes for the farmers themselves have also improved, the chairman explained.
BTA notes that back in May this year, activists from Invisible Animals had already organized a similar protest, during which demonstrators climbed into cages to call for humane treatment of calves and for legislative changes guaranteeing their free-range rearing.