Romania takes a significant step towards resuming sheep and goat exports

Romania has made a crucial advance in its efforts to resume exports of sheep and goats, following the European Commission's approval of its Action Plan. This approval is seen as the necessary first step to re-establish international trade in the sheep and goat sector, providing hope for local producers.

Tanczos Barna, the interim Minister of Agriculture, emphasized that this approval marks an important moment for the sector. He highlighted the need for the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) to implement the Action Plan professionally, ensuring a smooth transition back into the export market.

The Action Plan, submitted to the European Commission on September 11, includes a differentiated management strategy for 1.3 million doses of vaccines received free of charge. The comprehensive immunization scheme will be exclusively applied in two counties in Dobrogea, targeting the control of small ruminant plague and sheep pox, diseases that have previously led to trade restrictions and the culling of animals.

In a recent videoconference with European Health and Animal Welfare Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, Tanczos Barna presented the measures Romania is adopting. He stressed the necessity of adapting European rules to allow the export of vaccinated animals and expressed gratitude to European Commission experts for their collaboration over the past months.

ANSVSA has announced the securing of six third-country export markets under vaccination conditions, while negotiations for seven additional similar agreements are underway. Romania has already signed international treaties with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, and Libya, showcasing its commitment to expanding its export horizons.

The resumption of exports has been a primary demand from sheep and goat breeders, who expressed their frustrations through protests on September 15 in Piața Victoriei. They voiced their concerns about the handling of outbreaks of plague and sheep pox, along with the measures involving animal culling and export bans.

While the approval of the Action Plan opens the next stage for resuming exports, the actual implementation of these measures and the necessary decisions for changing the epidemiological status will ultimately determine the timeline for when trade can effectively restart.