Romania’s action plan to address the sheep and goat sector crisis

The Plan paves the way to the resumption of trade

ANSVSA emphasises that the approval of this plan represents an important step towards the resumption of sheep and goat exports from Romania, as it paves the way for the reassessment of the epidemiological status at national level. The resumption of intra-Community and third-country shipments will take place in accordance with the following timeline:

1. Adoption of a new official decision by the European Commission: This new implementing act will establish the special vaccination status for high-risk counties and officially recognise the rest of Romania’s territory as disease-free.
2. Activation of trade agreements with non-EU states: Validation of the new animal health and veterinary conditions by the countries of destination.
3. The effective launch of the national vaccination campaign: The roll-out of the vaccination programme on the ground, an operation directly supported by the European Commission, which is providing Romania, free of charge, with a consignment of 1.3 million vaccine doses.

According to ANSVSA, Romania has anticipated these technical requirements and took action in advance by negotiating market access with several third countries. To date, Romania has already signed six international treaties for exports subject to vaccination requirements with key trading partners: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel and Libya. At the same time, a further seven similar agreements are at an advanced stage of negotiation, contributing to creating outlets (as soon as the new epidemiological status comes into effect) for a sector which has been suffocating since the export ban came into force.

National vaccination strategy

The national vaccination strategy validated by the Commission will be implemented differently, depending on the level of regional epidemiological risk:

• High-risk zone (Tulcea and Constanța counties): The full immunisation programme will be implemented through the simultaneous administration of vaccines against the Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and Sheep and Goat Pox (SGP). From this special zone, exports will be made exclusively to third countries that expressly accept imports from territories where vaccination is practised.
• The rest of the country: The plan provides exclusively for vaccination against Sheep and Goat Pox (SGP). This nuanced approach maintains the rest of the country’s official ‘PPR-free’ status, safeguarding traditional trade agreements and animal shipments from unaffected areas.

Support for farmers and zero tolerance for illegal movements

ANSVSA reiterates that all 1.3 million doses of vaccine obtained from the European authorities will be administered entirely free of charge. Further support is also foreseen as compensation to farmers directly affected by outbreaks. As of 2026, the number of sheep culled to date stands at approximately 19,000, which represents 0.13 per cent of the estimated total national flock.

Until the new European decision is published and vaccination officially begins, the regional veterinary authorities, in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, will step up roadside and on-farm checks. ANSVSA strongly warns that the clandestine movement of animals and illegal trade would directly undermine technical and diplomatic efforts and may block or delay the adoption of the new decision by the European Commission.

Earlier this month, a large protest of sheep farmers took place in front of the Romanian government, blocking the area and generating violence - due to outsiders infiltrated into the crowd of protestors, according to the protest organisers.

More information

For more information, you can reach out to the Netherlands Agricultural Network in Romania via: bkr-lvvn@minbuza.nl