New Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency

At the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Desislava Taneva, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov appointed a new Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency - Dr. Damyan Iliev, Chief Veterinary Officer of the Republic of Bulgaria. Until now, he held the position of Deputy Executive Director with responsibilities for the Directorate "Health Protection and Humane Treatment of Animals and Feed Control" and the Directorate "Control of Veterinary Medicinal Products" at the Central Administration of the BFSA.

Dr. Damyan Iliev was born on March 14, 1949 in Sofia. He graduated from high school in 1967 and the Higher Veterinary Medical Institute in Sofia in 1974. From 1974 to 1978 he worked as a veterinarian in the APC Oryahovo. In the period 1978 - 1982, he was a surgeon in the Laboratory of Biology and Diseases of Game Animals at the small animal clinic. From 1982 to 1992, he worked as a veterinarian for the national equestrian teams at the Bulgarian Equestrian Federation. In 1992, he became a veterinarian at the "Khan Asparuh" equestrian base in Sofia. From 1994 to 1999, he was also the manager of the base. In the period 2000 - 2006, he worked at the Sofia Zoo clinic. In 2006, he became director of the RVMS-Sofia. From 2007 to 2011, he was Deputy General Director of the National Veterinary Medical Service (NVMS). After the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency was established, Dr. Iliev assumed the positions of Chief Secretary and Chief Sanitary Veterinary Inspector of the Republic of Bulgaria. Dr. Damyan Iliev has many years of experience in the field of veterinary medicine and the humane treatment of animals. He speaks English and Russian.

The former Executive Director of the BFSA, Plamen Mollov, has been released from his position, according to the press center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. He was removed by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Desislava Taneva.

We recall that earlier Desislava Taneva met with the owner of "Aladdin Foods" Aladdin Harfan, who publicly accused the agency of extortion against his fast-food restaurant chain.

The pressure against the company began after its management refused to pay a 10,000 euro monthly "protection fee," stated representatives of the company during a press conference.

Photo: Focus Agency