Sheep farmers are desperate and say that if the situation regarding the export of live animals is not resolved “we will see animals dying of hunger”, despite the increase in meat exports.
Farmers are hit by new bans, since last week, even the movement of animals between holdings is no longer allowed. All that is left for sheep farmers is to take their animals to the slaughterhouse, which are still permitted animal movements.
Cuttings in slaughterhouses increased, moreover, with the ban imposed on Romania to export live animals to the European space and, finally, to third countries. The news regarding the growth, although good, is not able to save an entire sector, because the cuts cannot match the quantities of live animals that Romania needs to send abroad. Without the export of live animals, farmers risk bankruptcy, the associations warn.
“We are only allowed to sell to the slaughterhouses, that’s all. Between us, nothing, no movement. If the shepherds want to buy from each other, they are not allowed. No movement is allowed, no wandering around with the animals, nothing. Where I am in the pasture, there I remain for now, 30 days”explained Constanța Ștefan, president of the Association of Animal Breeders “Tara Loviștei”.
The imposed ban operates until August 10 and is a measure that could be of great help to farmers, Constanța Ștefan believes, but only if it is respected.
“The measure helps, but it is not enough. Help, because a lot of nonsense is being done. The samsari never get enough, they keep walking with their cars, maybe they also carry the disease around; people don’t understand and sell without documents, but let’s not blame them, that man wants to get rid of animals, somehow, because you don’t know what’s going on”, specified Ștefan, for “Adevărul”.
In the coming days, representatives of the European authorities must arrive in Romania to assess whether Romania is ready to keep under control the disease outbreaks that led to the imposition of the bans, and the farmers put all their hope in this assessment.
The problem has become particularly pressing, with animal breeders being put in the situation of having nothing to support their animals.
“If it is not resolved by the end of August it will be bad. Now I am with the animals in the pasture, in some areas there is still drought, it is worse there. But after that they have to give their lambs, they have to give the reforms. They have no fodder for the winter. We’re going to see animals simply starve to death. Or I give them 2 lei, as there are enough speculators who will take advantage of the situation”Stefan pointed out.
Two men bought dozens of sheep, goats and cows with fake money and resold the animals at a reduced price
“I can’t take anything”
The amount of animals slaughtered in slaughterhouses has increased considerably in the last period, the export of meat and meat products being the only permits in Romania. It’s just that, on the one hand, the cuts are conditioned by external orders, and on the other, farmers have to meet the requirements, or it’s not within everyone’s reach. “It’s not about the quantity, it’s about the weight. They can’t take everything. Carcass can still be given, but we don’t have demand. We sold more carcases than we’ve sold in 5 years, it sold a lot, 700,000 sheep, carcases were sold. But we have a large capacity to sell”explained the president of the “Tara Loviștei” Association. The quantity sold is considerable, considering the fact that in the past 100,000, 150,000 or maximum 200,000 animals left Romania for slaughterhouses, and finally for export. Live animals were sold, instead, over 2 million heads, which shows that, at least at this moment, slaughtering does not solve the problem of Romanian farmers by any means.
The price, on the other hand, is comparable. The animals are sold for 4.5 euros/kg “live”, while for the animal in the carcass it is not offered, says Ștefan, more than 6-7 euros/kg.
“Selling processed meat would be better, but there are no orders for how much we sell,” says the representative of the “Tara Loviștei” Association.
The very high demand for live animals for non-EU countries led Romania to record sales, in June being exceeded the amount sold last year, but the situation we are in now fits like a glove for competitors, who could take the place of Romanian farmers. It is the reason why the entire segment must adhere to the measures temporarily imposed by the authorities, in order to finally reach the lifting of the restrictions, indicates Ștefan.
“(The recent ban – n. ed.) is the best measure that can be taken, we just respect it. Maybe it’s good for us. I told them that the measure cannot be extended, that if we extend it after September 1, we will destroy everything”. (…) If we are good and there is no more outbreak, let them at least let us go on third markets, because in Europe we certainly won’t have the right to sell, who knows when we will have this right again. But in Europe we sell carcasses”, Stefan also said.
The care to avoid the appearance of new outbreaks is the only one that can save the sector, says Constanța Ștefan, or for that we still have to work with the farmers, who on the one hand are still not willing to comply with the rules imposed by the legislation, reasoning that Romania has a certain specificity and that things happen in a certain way for hundreds of years, and on the other hand, some even reject the idea of the existence of diseases.
“Farmers need to understand that the rules – biosecurity rules, animal welfare rules – must be strictly followed. It’s no longer everyone with – they do what they want on my farm -, it doesn’t work anymore. The dangers are so great that, look, they bring bankruptcy. You no longer have any predictability in Romania to raise sheep, because you don’t know what’s going on. (…) We grow in Romania specifically, but now the dangers compared to hundreds of years ago are completely different. I’m sorry to hear many: there is no disease. There is disease“, Ștefan also pointed out.
