Romanian shepherds clash with police in Bucharest over sheep culls and export bans

Demonstrations in central Bucharest

Around 1,000 sheep farmers gathered near the Antipa Museum in Bucharest on Tuesday morning before staging a five-hour protest in Piața Victoriei. The demonstration led to clashes outside government headquarters, prompting emergency response deployments from SMURD and law enforcement units. The Romanian executive issued an appeal for calm and the cessation of violence, stating that no representative sheep breeders association had officially taken part in the rally. Organizers had previously mobilized supporters online following earlier demonstrations held in July.

Farmers present sixteen demands

At around 10:00 on Tuesday, representatives from the Professional Association of Shepherds submitted a list of 16 demands to the government registry. The document, published online by the Țara Loviștei Agricultural Association, calls for an immediate end to animal culling during disease outbreaks and the unrestricted reopening of livestock exports. The farmers also demanded fair rental prices for communal pastures, the elimination of mandatory veterinary fees charged by the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA), and the removal of the brown bear from the list of strictly protected species. Additional points seek amendments to hunting legislation, the introduction of a digital tracking system for livestock transport, and an exemption from fines regarding shepherd dog sterilization.

Gheorghe Dănulețiu, a shepherd from Jina known as Ghiță Ciobanul, delivered the documents at the government building and said organizers would wait until Wednesday for a response.

First of all, we demand that sheep no longer be killed and that sheep exports from Romania be reopened, these are among the most serious problems facing sheep farming today.

Cabinet outlines measures on culling and exports

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan reviewed the petition and conferred with Deputy Prime Minister and interim Agriculture Minister Tánczos Barna on policy solutions. The government stated that animal culling to contain peste des petits ruminants and sheep pox has been applied only as an exceptional measure when no viable alternatives existed, adding that authorities will maintain this protocol. To address trade restrictions, the veterinary authority submitted an Action Plan to the European Commission, with livestock export resumptions dependent on European approval. The executive also noted that Romanian authorities had already conducted six formal consultation sessions with sheep sector delegates since 9 July 2026 across Bucharest, Brașov, and Sibiu.

Sanitary controls and pasture audits

The protest followed veterinary inspections in Constanța county, where sanitary authorities detected sheep pox infections across two localities. The agency reported cases where farm operators concealed dead animals, maintained untagged livestock, or reused ear tags previously assigned to other counties and exported shipments. In response to land access disputes, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development initiated a thematic audit into pasture lease contracts executed by local administrative units. The ministry has also drafted a proposal to grant financial relief for pasture drought damage, though the executive indicated that implementing the measure and expanding subsidized veterinary services will require an assessment of state budget capacity.