Romanian Farmers Clash With Police Over EU Livestock Export Restrictions

Romanian sheep farmers and livestock breeders took to the streets of Bucharest on 15 September, protesting against restrictions on animal exports, the handling of disease outbreaks and the financial losses caused by livestock culling. The demonstration outside the government headquarters initially proceeded peacefully but later escalated into clashes with gendarmes, who used tear gas after some protesters pushed through security barriers and threw objects at officers. More than 1,000 sheep farmers took part in the protest, according to Bulgarian news agency BTA, while Romanian authorities and media reported several hundred to more than 1,000 participants.

At the centre of the dispute is the continued restriction on the movement and export of live sheep and goats from Romania following outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants (PPR), as well as sheep and goat pox. The European Commission has extended restrictions on the movement of sheep and goats from Romania until 31 December 2026, while the measures also affect exports to third countries. Farmers argue that the prolonged restrictions are putting an already vulnerable livestock sector under severe financial pressure.

An Export Market Put on Hold

For Romanian sheep breeders, the restrictions are not simply a veterinary issue. Live-animal exports are an important part of the sector's commercial model, and limitations on moving animals beyond Romania reduce the number of markets available to producers. The National Federation of Sheep and Goat Breeders, ROMOVIS, has described the sector as being in an extremely difficult period, citing losses linked to restrictions on intra-EU trade and exports.

The European restrictions were introduced in response to the risk that animal diseases could spread from affected Romanian regions to other EU member states and third countries. In its July decision, the European Commission said the recurrence of sheep and goat pox created a risk of further spread within Romania, to the rest of the EU and beyond, and therefore prolonged the restrictions on the movement of sheep and goats from Romania.

The measures have since been updated as the epidemiological situation has evolved. On 10 September, the Commission adopted a new implementing decision modifying emergency measures concerning sheep and goat pox in Romania. The decision entered into force on 14 September, one day before the Bucharest protest.

For farmers, however, the distinction between disease-control measures and their economic consequences is increasingly difficult to separate. A prolonged restriction can leave producers with fewer options for selling animals, while disease-control measures can also require livestock to be culled.

Farmers Challenge Romania's Disease Management

The protesters' demands went beyond the export ban itself. Farmers criticised the Romanian authorities' handling of outbreaks and measures leading to the slaughter of animals, while also calling for compensation for livestock that had been culled. Protesters demanded the resignation of Alexandru Bociu, head of Romania's National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, over the management of the epidemiological situation.

The Romanian authorities, meanwhile, have been working on a plan intended to make it possible to gradually unblock exports. The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority said on 11 September that Romania had developed a vaccination strategy following discussions with the European Commission. The plan envisages differentiated vaccination depending on the risk level of different areas, with a full vaccination scheme in Dobrogea and vaccination against sheep pox elsewhere.

According to the authority, Romania could obtain 1.3 million vaccine doses free of charge from the European side. The stated objective is to reduce the epidemiological risk sufficiently to allow exports to resume while preventing new restrictions from being imposed on Romanian meat and dairy products.

The government has therefore been trying to balance two competing pressures: satisfying EU veterinary requirements while preventing the restrictions from becoming a long-term economic shock for livestock producers.

From Agricultural Grievance to Street Confrontation

The scale of dissatisfaction became visible in Bucharest as farmers gathered in Victory Square before moving towards the area near the National Museum of Natural History. The protest was organised through social media and brought together sheep farmers and other agricultural producers. Farmers also raised wider concerns about the economic impact of drought and compensation for agricultural losses.

The demonstration later became disorderly. According to Romanian public broadcaster Radio Romania International, several participants forced their way through a gendarmerie cordon and threw stones and other objects, prompting the security forces to use tear gas. Several dozen people required medical attention and several people were taken into custody for questioning. The representatives of the sheep farmers subsequently distanced themselves from the violent acts.

Euronews reported that traffic around Victory Square was blocked for several hours as the confrontation developed. At least three protesters required medical treatment after exposure to tear gas, while two participants were taken to a police station for questioning.

The confrontation adds a domestic political dimension to what began as a dispute over veterinary controls. The farmers' complaints are directed both at European restrictions and at Romanian institutions responsible for implementing disease-control measures.

The Wider Regulatory Pressure on Agriculture

Romania's livestock dispute reflects a broader tension that has repeatedly emerged between agricultural producers and regulatory authorities across Europe: measures designed to protect animal health, food safety or the environment can have immediate and uneven economic consequences for individual producers.

In this case, the EU restrictions are based on a specific veterinary objective — limiting the spread of contagious diseases. The Commission's decisions are also designed around geographical risk zones and the possibility of transmission between member states. But for farmers whose business depends on moving live animals, restrictions lasting until the end of 2026 represent a significant interruption to normal trade.

That tension is particularly relevant for Romania, which has one of the EU's largest sheep populations and a substantial rural economy built around livestock production. The longer restrictions remain in place, the greater the pressure on authorities to demonstrate that disease-control measures are accompanied by workable compensation mechanisms and a credible route back to normal trade.

The Romanian government's proposed vaccination programme is intended to provide such a route. The authorities have said that differentiated vaccination and risk mapping could help restore exports while limiting unnecessary restrictions on areas where the epidemiological risk is lower.

A Test for the Next Stage of the Policy

The immediate dispute is now moving towards implementation. Romanian authorities have indicated that discussions with the European Commission have produced prospects for unblocking sheep and goat exports, while the European framework remains tied to the epidemiological situation and the continuing assessment of disease risks.

For Romanian farmers, the key issue is therefore whether the new vaccination and disease-control measures can translate into a predictable timetable for restoring access to domestic, EU and third-country markets. For Brussels and Bucharest, the challenge is to contain disease without leaving producers exposed to an open-ended loss of market access.