In an attempt to halt and revert the sharp decline of the Romanian livestock sector, which causes inefficiencies also in the downstream sectors – slaughter, processing – Romania’s authorities are optimistic about a new support scheme addressed to livestock farmers.
Slaughterhouses – operations below capacity
In Romania, the problem with slaughterhouses is not a lack of infrastructure, but the growing gap between installed capacity and the actual volume of animals available for slaughter. In 2024–2025, this imbalance has generated high fixed costs and underutilization of capacity, with a direct impact on processing prices.
Obviously, a slaughterhouse only operates efficiently at a certain load level, which allows for the dilution of fixed costs: energy, personnel, sanitary-veterinary control, and maintenance. When the volume falls below the optimal threshold, the cost per head slaughtered increases rapidly, and the margin disappears. For many units, the alternative remains occasional processing or dependence on imported animals.
Data published by Eurostat indicate that the number of animals slaughtered in Romania in 2024 remained significantly below the 2018 level, especially in the pig sector. At the same time, the structure of slaughtering capacities has not adjusted in proportion to the reduction in livestock numbers. According to FAO data, underutilization of capacity is one of the main sources of economic inefficiency in the meat industry in Central and Eastern Europe.
Without rebuilding the livestock base or industrial consolidation, some slaughtering capacity will remain economically vulnerable, regardless of the level of technology, according to the Meat.Milk online platform.
Development plans: new scheme for breeding animals
The Romanian Minister of Agriculture Florin Barbu has indicated again in the beginning of this year that his ministry is preparing a new support scheme to enable farmers acquire breeding animals to develop their farms and increase therefore the insufficient livestock numbers in Romania. Breeding animals will be purchased using Pillar II CAP funds (investments in the rural area).
Minister Barbu estimates that this support programme could be launched already this March, after discussions with relevant farmers’ organisations. The estimated budget is 150-200 million euros. The support is dedicated to the acquisition of high quality breeding animals: heifers for milk and meat, but also she-lambs. For the swine sector some 100,000 sows are expected to be purchased. Here the situation is quite critical, with the sector shrinking sharply also due to African Swine Fever.