Romanian sheep and goat farmers protest in Bucharest against restrictions imposed due to peste de petits ruminants

(Photo: Pixabay)

The Romanian Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) has banned the export of live small ruminants – sheep and goats – to other countries of the European Union, as well as the transport of live animals in the entire territory of Arad and Bihar counties, following a new outbreak of plague in the Gepiu area of ​​Bihar county on March 5. According to the shepherds marching in front of the government headquarters, the export ban introduced in the weeks before Easter, the most important sales period for them, could bankrupt 80 percent of the breeders. According to the breeders, who were interviewed by the Digi 24 news channel, they were able to sell live lambs for around 25 lei (2,000 forints) per kilogram last year, but now they can only export to Arab countries, for a maximum price of 17 lei, and this may decrease further after the Easter period. According to the government statement, experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and the ANSVSA promised the protestors’ delegation that they would ask the EC for a concession to allow livestock to be transported from farms where there is no plague outbreak to the nearest slaughterhouse, in order to reduce losses. According to the ANSVSA, Romania can still export live small ruminants to third-country markets outside the EU, and the EU export ban only applies to live animals, not to sheep and goat meat slaughtered in slaughterhouses that meet EU standards. The Romanian sheep population was estimated at around 2.325 million in December, a decrease of 200,000 compared to the previous year. Peste de petits ruminants first appeared in Romania in July last year. At the peak of the epidemic, a total of 64 hotspots were identified in four counties of the country.

MTI