The European Commission has extended the ban on exports of sheep and goats from Romania to third countries until 31 December 2026, while also maintaining the existing ban on deliveries to EU member states, interim Agriculture Minister Tanczos Barna announced.
The decision was prompted by the emergence of an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants in Mureș County and by the Commission’s assessment that there is a high risk of the disease spreading.
This is a deeply disproportionate measure in relation to the current epidemiological situation and the major economic impact on Romania’s sheep sector.
The restriction applies to the entire national territory, although the outbreak is localized and under control, while other member states in similar situations are not facing equally severe measures.
Romania has become the largest exporter of sheep in the European Union, with record contracts and exports in 2026 to markets outside the Union. The sheep sector makes an essential contribution to the rural economy.
Disease control measures must be effective, but also proportionate, so as to protect animal health without unnecessarily affecting the competitiveness of Romanian farmers and Romania’s position on international markets.
ANSVSA must urgently submit to the Government and the European Commission an effective, rigorous and credible action plan, demonstrating the authorities’ ability to control and stop the spread of the disease, so that restrictions are limited to the affected areas and exports can resume as soon as possible.
