Romania Works to Restore Sheep Exports After EU Extends Restrictions

Romania is seeking to regain the right to export live sheep and goats after the European Commission extended restrictions introduced following an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants, a highly contagious viral disease affecting these animals.

A new outbreak was confirmed on 8 June 2026 in Mureș County. The European Commission assessed that there was a high risk of the disease spreading further and adopted a decision on 17 June prohibiting Romania from sending sheep and goats to other EU member states or exporting them to third countries until the end of 2026.

Peste des petits ruminants, also known by the abbreviation PPR, cannot be transmitted to humans, but it can spread rapidly among sheep and goats and cause significant losses to the livestock sector. When the disease occurs, veterinary measures are introduced, including restrictions on animal movements, surveillance of farms and controls on transport.

Romania’s National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, ANSVSA, is nevertheless advocating the application of the regionalisation principle, which would allow exports from parts of the country not affected by the disease. The authority said it was preparing technical and veterinary measures aimed at ensuring the safe continuation of trade from areas where no cases of infection have been confirmed.

Following talks between Romanian representatives and the European Commission, an urgent expert review in Romania was also announced, with the aim of potentially creating the conditions for sheep exports to resume. However, export rights have not yet been restored.

The restrictions are highly significant for Romania’s livestock sector, as the country’s authorities say Romania holds a leading position in Europe in the export of live sheep. According to ANSVSA data, sheep exports to markets outside the European Union were worth more than €210 million in the first ten months of 2025.

Under the European Commission decision currently in force, the restrictions will remain in place until 31 December 2026.

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