!hturt naht regnartS

?wonk uoy diD

If you made Bulgaria the size of a pancake...

... you'd have a lot of very, very surprised Bulgarians.

In the news today, several large Canadian producers have signed a contract to produce the maple syrup required to fill the so-called "Bulgarian pancake".

Economists have praised the deal, citing a predicted 65% decrease in unemployment across the primary syrup-producing areas of the country and a noticeable increase in the Gross Domestic Product of the nation as a whole. They warn, however, that the jobs generated by the partnership are liable to be very shortlived and workers should not look to the partnership for long-term employment prospects.

Ecologists, meanwhile, are up-in-arms over the plans. The production partnership aims to harvest just under 96% of the total managed maple forest in the country to fulfil the shipment and the production method required to extract such quantities of sap is likely to kill many younger specimens. Predictions from the Canadian Horticultural Society indicate the Canadian maple may even be pushed onto the country's endangered species list as a result. The loss of younger plants and the use of heavy industrial equipment could destroy the woodland habitat of many birds and small mammals and cause localised extinction of many species already at risk.

Local focus groups have also expressed their concern over the possible impact to rural communities. Many of the plantations targeted by the partnership are small, family owned businesses who sell their products to the larger food production companies. The prospect of introducing many non-local workers into these small communities to "make up the numbers" has been the cause of heated debate, especially amongst the older generations.

Government officials have issued a statement assuring the public that the partnership's practices will be closely monitored to ensure the minimum of disruption to both communities and the environment.