"After managing to lose hundreds of millions of euro in European funding, Bulgarian state institutions involved in agricultural policy in the country, created another mess," is how Bulgarian financial weekly Banker started its report on the registration system of the State Fund Agriculture (SFA).

In order to qualify for European subsidy, Bulgarian farmers have to register their stock with the SFA.

Registration and inspection of live stock is done by the veterinarian services, after which the registration is transferred to the computer systems at the SFA, which acts as a payment agency for EU funds.

It was in the last transfer that cattle seemed to mysteriously disappear, Banker said.

One of the farmers, hit by problems in the system was Ivan Chalakov, deputy chair of the union of cattle breeders. Of the 220 animals Chakalov owned, only 130 had been registered by the CFA.

Other farmers faced similar problems, "at the registration and inspection the cattle is there, then all of sudden they are gone," Chakalov was quoted as saying by Banker.

According to Chakalov, in one case, a sheepherder who owned 814 sheep, found out that only three had been registered by the CFA. When the farmer applied for funding under the Central Balkan measure, he was turned down because the requirement was a minimum of 50 sheep.

Boiko Sinapov, chair of the national association of breeders, was quoted by Banker as saying that only 200 of his 800 sheep had been registered by the CFA.

According to Agriculture Minister Valeri Tsvetanov, the problems were "of a technical nature," consisting of "discrepancies between the two systems and communication problems." None of the errors were fatal, however, and all problems would be solved, Tsvetanov was quoted as saying by Banker.

Both the ministry and the veterinarian services believed a re-check and final comparison of all information in the two systems, would solve any discrepancies, Banker said.

Unhappy with the response of both institutions, Banker concluded that the only solution seemed to be another prod from Brussels, while meanwhile the entire country was "made to look like a slob, an idea increasingly stamped into our own and European minds," Banker said.