The Government has officially responded to the violence in Victory Square and announced that Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has taken note of the demands submitted to the Government today by the “Professional Association of Shepherds – APC” and discussed solutions to address the issues raised with Deputy Prime Minister Tánczos Barna, acting Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
- “Some of the demands submitted today were also put forward at the six previous meetings between representatives of the sheep sector and the Government and, specifically, the Government took the following measures:
1. The measure of eliminating the risk of transmission of peste des petits ruminants or sheep pox through the culling of animals was applied only exceptionally and only in situations where no other viable alternative solutions existed. The authorities will proceed in the same way in future.
2. The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority submitted the Action Plan for unblocking sheep and goat exports to the European Commission. Exports may resume once the European Commission approves this plan.
3. Pastures are leased by administrative-territorial units (UATs). The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has launched a thematic inspection following petitions received from farmers, with a view to identifying leasing procedures in which the legislation in force was not complied with.
4. At present, a significant proportion of veterinary health measures is already funded from the state budget. Any expansion of these measures requires the allocation of additional budgetary resources, which is why a financial and budgetary impact analysis must first be carried out.
5. The work of the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority is coordinated by Deputy Prime Minister Tánczos Barna, acting Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
6. The Ministry of Agriculture has initiated steps to develop an IT system for the real-time traceability of animal transport, in order to combat illegal transport; the system must be developed by ANSVSA.
7. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development supports the farmers’ demand for compensation for drought-related damage to pastures and has drawn up a proposal to this effect. However, the measure has a significant budgetary impact and requires the necessary financial resources to be identified.
8. MADR has drawn up, together with representative associations of sheep farmers, the draft law on compensating additional feeding costs. In the current context, in the absence of a Government with full powers, the draft law must be adopted by Parliament.
9. The Ministry of Agriculture has maintained a constant and constructive dialogue with representative organisations of sheep farmers and the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority and has provided a platform for dialogue between sheep farmers and ANSVSA as part of the preparation of a plan of measures to manage the situation in the sector and resume exports.
Since 9 July 2026, 6 meetings have taken place between representatives of sheep farmers and representatives of ANSVSA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, at the Government, at the two institutions and at local authorities in Brașov and Sibiu.
It is noteworthy that no representative association of farmers from the sheep-farming sector took part in today’s protest in Victory Square.
The Government of Romania respects the legal right of all citizens to peaceful protest, but the protest in Victory Square went beyond this framework and degenerated into regrettable acts of violence. The Government calls for calm and an end to the violence,” the Government said.
