Radio România Internațional

Tag: farming

  • Farming in Romania, past and present

    Farming in Romania, past and present

    A
    surface area of over a hundred thousand hectares of arid land stretches in
    southern Romania, nearby Dabuleni, a locality known as the motherland of sugar
    melons. The area is dubbed Romania’s Sahara. It already covers the greater part
    of Dolj County’s eastern side, while silviculturists and NGOs have been trying
    really hard to stop the advance of sands, mainly with the help of acacia plantations.
    In the commune of Carcea, close by Craiova’s Internationals Airport, over the
    summer, the farming cultivations are ailing. Not to mention the fact that summers
    in Oltenia are long and hot.


    However,
    The Forest of Tomorrow Foundation has come up with a new idea and performs an
    experiment. We have a brown-reddish soil, a semi-clayish structure Marian Mechenici
    explains, who is employed by a company that contributes to the setting up of
    that experimental plantation. It doesn’t have a satisfactory response in the
    dry season. It cracks a lot. His teams
    have already prepared 1.3 hectares of land that were sown with cereals and
    vegetables, just like the surrounding fields. What makes this parcel different,
    though, is the fact that it was simultaneously planted with fruit-bearing shrubs
    and trees.


    Always
    in search of new solutions for climate fight, the Forest of Tomorrow Foundation
    has purposefully financed a research study on the performance of agroforestry
    systems.


    We
    want our fight to be as active as possible, against climate change and also in a
    bid to enlarge Romania’s afforested surface areas, the director of the Forest
    of Tomorrow Foundation, Mihai Caradaica, explains. Mostly for the plains region,
    where we can find around 6% of Romania’s forests, the benefits of the agroforestry
    systems are multiple: the reduction of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
    the increase of the farming cultivations’ economic potential through the humidity
    provided by the trees and the fertilization of the soil, protection for the
    livestock there where the agroforestry systems are implemented in farms, Mihai
    Caradaica also said.


    But
    what is an agroforestry system? We’ve found that out visiting the site of the Forest
    of Tomorrow Foundation. The definitions provided by literature are many, yet
    all of them highlight
    the integration of trees and other wood species (in various combinations) in
    the farming cultivations, in pastures or in zootechnical activities, in a bid
    to have extra benefits from the same surface area. The shelterbelts protecting
    cereal cultivations, or the trees, be they isolated or in groves, that have
    been preserved on livestock grazing land are the handiest examples for Romania,
    yet the concept is a lot richer when it comes to the applied side. It is, perhaps,
    the oldest model of long-lasting land management, dating from the Neolithic
    period, when human being began to cultivate plants under the shelter provided
    by forests. However, in the 20th century, the agroforestry systems were
    almost completely replaced, in the West, by intensive farming: cultivations
    planted on uninterrupted areas, using mechanized means and supported chemically
    in order to cope with pests or to become more productive. Notwithstanding, in the
    last forty years the perspective has begun to change. As for the role of the
    forestry structures integrated in farming cultivations or in animal farming, it
    has been better and better understood and implemented.


    According
    to the European Association for Agroforestry Systems, EURAF, in Europe there
    are more than 8 million hectares cultivated according to that method. The trees
    provide wood for constructions or energy, they also provide edible fruits,
    shade and food for the livestock. Concurrently, trees stabilize the soil, also
    balancing its chemical composition, they offer protection for cultivations
    against the weather or pests, they purify the air and preserve the quality of
    waters in a given surface area. Forests or shelterbelts support farming cultivations,
    render them more productive and increase their resilience towards climate change.
    Our research is, we hope, one first step we have taken towards a large-scale development
    of Romanian agroforestry, according to the specialists working for the Forest
    of Tomorrow Foundation. The project’s head researcher is Mihai Enescu, a senior
    lecturer with Bucharest’s University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary
    medicine:


    Mihai Enescu:

    We have a plot of land we have divided into 20 square-shaped farm
    parcels with a 24-meter-long leg, where we will plant both common forestry species,
    such as the oak-tree, the ash-tree, the Sycamore maple, the maple-tree, and many
    others, but also some that are less used in Romania today. These are mainly xerophyte
    species, resistant to the droughty conditions, indigenous species, such as the
    downy oak, or allochthonous species, with origins in other countries, such as
    the honey locust or the Siberian elm. We will also plant fruit-bearing shrubs.
    Here, behind me, we can already see the European red raspberry, densely cultivated.
    We will also plant blackberry trees, but also agricultural species, on our farm
    parcels. There will be parcels with corn and sunflower, with various densities
    and modern technologies. We will also test other suggestions that have already
    had good results in countries located mainly in central and western Europe,
    that is farther afield. We shall also come up with irrigated rows, unirrigated
    rows, fertilized rows, unfertilized rows, so they can respond to more than twenty
    research questions. I place my stakes on fast results, well, not for the very
    first year, but for years two, three and four, as it is a project with a
    four-year duration. I’m counting on results that are at least interesting, results
    we can’t wait to promote.


    The
    eventual aim of the project is the compilation of a good practice guide, or the
    use of Romanian farmers and forest workers. A handbook teaching people working
    in the field how to use agroforestry systems in our country, at once taking the
    local specificity into account, explaining what species goes with what species,
    where, when and how, and what the effects of that are.

  • Environment protection measures

    Environment protection measures

    The long drought this year affects farming in the south and east of Romania more and more severely, and forestry officials are once again pleading for shelterbelts along plots of farmland. The head of the Forestation Service in the Romsilva National Forestry Authority, engineer Marius Ureche, says such shelterbelts create microclimates that protect from wind and humidity, keeping crop land safe from drought and desertification. He also says that shelterbelts have been needed in the south and east of the country for decades, but that most farmers have cut down trees and shrubs in order to extend their farms.



    Marius Ureche: “Unfortunately, since 1989 part of these shelterbelts have been cut down. This was a mistake, because farmers sought short-term gains, but they have come to realise that the impact on the agricultural yield has been dramatic.



    In this context, the Environment Ministry Wednesday launched the autumn stage of a forestation campaign entitled ‘A forest as big as a country, which follows a first stage implemented this spring. The annual reforestation programme provides for the reforestation of over 12,500 hectares, in 2 campaigns. Two-thirds of the total surface area will be subject to natural reforestation plans, and one-third to artificial forest regeneration projects.



    Over 17 million trees will be planted in this autumns edition of the campaign, mostly in the counties of Tulcea, Galaţi, Ialomiţa, Dolj and Vaslui, in the east and south of the country. Of these, over one million are oak trees, and the others are poplar trees, willow, ash, maple and other species.



    The Environment Ministry also announced that entirely new forests will be planted on 1,100 hectares, while additional trees will be planted on a total area of over 2,000 hectares. In the spring edition of this campaign, 2,400 forests were planted from scratch, and another 7,000 young forests were extended. Most of them are located in the counties Suceava (north-east), Maramureş (north) and Sibiu (centre).



    In related news, as part of the same effort to protect the environment, a second stage of a project designed to broaden Black Sea beaches is scheduled to start soon. The project benefits from over 800 million euros worth of EU funding. Several Black Sea resorts will have broader beaches to welcome their tourists, and they will be consolidated with seawalls. The project is also aimed at solving erosion issues in the Romanian seaside resorts. The works are scheduled to begin in October, and the total beach area is planned to increase by 200 hectare thanks to these measures.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Regulations on seasonal worker transport

    Regulations on seasonal worker transport

    This spring, farming across Europe is severely affected by the absence of the seasonal workers involved in harvesting, triggered by the travel restrictions imposed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these seasonal workers used to come from Eastern Europe. This is why Romania introduced a number of conditions applying to the Romanians who leave for seasonal work abroad.



    The regulations are included in a Transport Ministry order under which all charter flights taking Romanian seasonal workers abroad must be scheduled at minimum 4-hour intervals.



    Under the order, the companies organising such flights have to notify the flight schedule ahead of time. Recruitment agencies are also bound to provide people with protection equipment, including masks and gloves, and workers will not be brought to airports more than 4 hours prior to take-off time, the regulation also says.



    Recruitment agencies will organise the transport only after they have received the greenlight from airports. Moreover, they must have at least one representative at the airport, to provide assistance to passengers, including in case of delayed or cancelled flights.



    The document tackles problems such as the one reported late last week at the airport in Cluj-Napoca, north-western Romania, when nearly 1,500 seasonal workers crowded in front of the airport, thus breaching the social distancing rules imposed under the military orders issued in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.



    Romanian workers are being brought into Germany for seasonal farm work after the local farmers warned that without Eastern European labour, harvests will be compromised. In Berlin, the agriculture minister cautioned that, in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, seasonal employees will have to comply strictly with the safety measures imposed by the authorities.



    According to the BBC, Germany, which usually employed some 300,000 seasonal workers in agriculture, has so far allowed 80,000 people to enter the country for this purpose.



    Several flights have taken Romanian workers from Sibiu (centre), Cluj-Napoca, Iaşi (north-east) and Bucharest over the past few days, and similar operations are scheduled for the forthcoming days.



    On the other hand, a number of flights to Germany have been cancelled recently over failure to comply with the provisions of Military Order no. 8 issued in Romania, under which such flights have to be approved by the Transport Ministry 48 hours prior to take-off.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • INDAGRA Agricultural Fair

    INDAGRA Agricultural Fair

    The largest agricultural and food event in Romania, the INDAGRA fair, is open until Sunday in Bucharest. According to the organizers, some 65,000 visitors are expected at the fair. Hundreds of companies from 25 countries have come with thousands of products and dozens of events. Among the items on display at the fair are agricultural machinery and equipment, traditional foodstuffs, bio products, seeds, fruit trees and flowers. Also, visitors are given the opportunity to taste food and wines.



    The Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has visited the fair and has stated that the authentic traditional products must be helped become known at international level. She has also stated that concrete solutions must be found to support Romanian producers.



    Also attending the opening of INDAGRA, the Agriculture Minister Petre Daea spoke about the good results obtained by Romanian farmers this year: “The Government, by means of its agricultural policies and budget allocations, has paved the way for farmers to succeed, both in terms of production and earnings. Although it has been a moody year, with many events hampering agricultural operations, the results obtained are however satisfactory. Until now we have managed to render operational an irrigation system that covers a total area of 1.2 million hectares, ensuring free water for farmers. Also, we have managed to protect some 850,000 hectares by building 60 anti-hail launch points, which have protected vineyards and have helped obtaining a grape production of 1.27 million tons, which is a record figure.”



    15 years after the disappearance of domestic production, this year’s edition of INDAGRA presents the first agricultural tractor based on a 100% Romanian concept. 80% of the parts used in the manufacturing of the tractor are made in Romania, and the starting price is 34,500 Euros. The serial production of the tractor is due to start in April, 2019, in Reghin, central Romania. According to estimates, some 200 units are to be manufactured and sold in the first year alone.



    At INDAGRA, the animal husbandry stands are also displaying some of the latest and best performing equipment and installations in the field. For the first time, there are no animal stalls present, as all animal fairs have been banned because of the African swine fever outbreak. So far, some 1,060 outbreaks have been confirmed across Romania, and some 356,000 animals have been culled.

  • November 2, 2018

    November 2, 2018

    UK The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will have a meeting on November 14th in London with the British PM, Theresa May, at the latters invitation, official sources told AGERPRES news agency on Friday. On the same day, Klaus Iohannis will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace, in honour of Charles, Prince of Wales 70th birthday, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.




    MEETING The PM of Romania, Viorica Dăncilă, said in Varna on Friday, that at the 4-party meeting between Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek and Serbian officials she had stressed that more must be done for Europes energy security, especially by diversifying supply sources and stepping up the interconnection process. In the field of transport, she reiterated Romanias interest in the building of new motorways and bridges across the River Danube. Attending the meeting were the PMs of Bulgaria and Greece, Boiko Borisov and Alexis Tsipras, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Prior to the talks, Dǎncilǎ and her Israeli counterpart agreed on the organisation of an economic forum, ahead of the joint meeting of the 2 countries governments. PM Dăncilă presented to her Israeli counterpart the changes operated on the legislation regulating public-private partnerships, which have made the Romanian investment climate more attractive. The Romanian official also reconfirmed Romanias interest in strengthening and deepening relations with Israel in energy and cyber security, healthcare, research and innovation. The 2 prime ministers also discussed means of cooperation between Romania and Israel, in the context of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council as of January 2019.




    BUDGET The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, which make up the ruling coalition in Romania, convene today for talks on this years budget adjustment and on 2019 budgetary projections. The Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici also takes part in the meeting. The agenda also includes plans for setting up a Sovereign Development and Investment Fund and the companies that should be part of this fund, personnel downsizing measures in certain ministries and governmental agencies, and a possible increase in minimum salaries as of December 1.




    EU FUNDING The European Commissioner for regional development Corina Creţu reiterated that Bucharest has so far submitted no funding applications for any major project that could be financed by the European Commission, except for the M6 underground line which is currently being analysed. We are long past the deadlines Romania has set itself for applying for EU funds for regional hospitals, for 3 motorways, for the Braila bridge and for the Bucharest ring road, Corina Creţu says. In a social network post, the European Commissioner dismisses the accusations made against her after she had repeatedly warned that the EU fund absorption by the Romanian Government has slowed down. Darius Vâlcov, adviser to PM Viorica Dăncilă, claimed on Thursday that the funding provided by the EU only accounts for 10% of the costs of building a regional hospital, and that the balance must be supplied by the Romanian state.




    LABOUR Switzerland will lift all labour market restrictions for Romanian workers in May next year. The announcement was made during a visit to Bucharest on Thursday by the president of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, who was received by President Klaus Iohannis. Alain Berset said, on the other hand, that Switzerland supports Bucharests bid for OECD membership, and that, although it is not an EU member, it will stand by Romania during the countrys presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019.




    VETERINARY The Romanian Veterinary Board has organised a rally at the Government headquarters today, in order to draw attention to the major problems facing this profession and jeopardising public health. Veterinary physicians demand the immediate amendment of the law regulating their profession, which must be brought in line with a ruling of the EU Court of Justice. Otherwise, the protesters warn, public health is at grave risk in Romania, where anybody may open a veterinary dispensary and sell medications, without the need for veterinary physician supervision, and anybody may purchase such medication and give it to animals.




    FARMING Hundreds of companies from 25 countries are taking part in Bucharest, until Sunday, in the international farming trade fair INDAGRA, the largest of this kind in Romania. As part of the trade fair, today the Rural Investment Financing Agency is organising a national conference on “Rural Development: A fundamental element of economic competitiveness and cohesion at EU level. Taking part in the conference is the Minister for Agriculture and rural Development, Petre Daea. The participants discuss the elements supporting the transformation of Romanian agriculture and rural communities, so as to be able to contribute to the competitiveness of the national economy.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • July 31, 2018 UPDATE

    July 31, 2018 UPDATE

    ADMINISTRATIVE CODE – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Tuesday notified the Constitutional Court with respect to the Administrative Code. The president claims, among other things, that the law has not been adopted transparently and that deficiencies in the parliamentary procedure have been reported. The president also says that the law, in its entirety, runs counter to the Constitution and he mentions, in that respect, tens of articles included in the new Administrative Code. The document was endorsed by Parliament on July 9.In its
    turn, the Constitutional Court announced on Tuesday the president’s notification
    regarding the Administrative Code will be debated upon on September 20.



    SWINE FEVER – The situation of African
    swine fever hotbeds in Romania was the focal point on the agenda of a
    government session on Tuesday. Attending the informal meeting were several members
    of the cabinet, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed
    Arafat, as well as representatives of the National Sanitary-Veterinary
    Authority. Romanian pig farmers having lost animals because of the African
    swine fever outbreak have so far received compensations of nearly 28,000 Euros.
    The compensations are granted both for the animals slaughtered in view of
    containing the swine fever hotbeds, and for collateral damages. In order to
    prevent the disease from spreading, restrictions have been introduced in
    certain areas regarding the transport of pork products, and citizens have been
    informed of relevant prevention measures. Since the beginning of the year, 440
    African swine fever hotbeds have been identified in Romania, both in large
    farms and individual households.



    CAR POLLUTING FEE – The Romanian environment minister, Graţiela Gavrilescu, announced on Tuesday that she will come up with a new version of the car polluting fee by the end of the year. The car polluting fee was introduced in Romania in January 2007, shortly after the country joined the EU. At that time, the first car registration fee was calculated in accordance with three elements: the age of the car, the type of catalyst and the engine capacity. After the fee had been repeatedly changed, in 2013, a tax was introduced in 2013, depending exclusively on the level of exhausted fumes. Four years later, in 2017, the authorities scrapped that fee.



    WORKERS – Over the past few years Romanian companies in hospitality, catering, light industry, agriculture and constructions have hired workers from outside the EU. Most of them come from countries with living standards below those in Romania, like the Philippines, Nepal, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Thailand. Romanian employers have resorted to this strategy for various reasons, including the migration of domestic workers to more developed countries in western Europe, a drop in birth rates, labour mobility requirements and the inability of the national education system to adjust to the needs of the local labour market.



    SHEEP FARMING – Romania, the 4th largest sheep and goat breeding country in the EU, last year imported mutton and lamb worth 3.5 million Euros, from countries as far away as New Zealand. According to data made public by the National Statistics Institute, last year 11.5 million sheep and goats were bred in Romania, of which some 10 million sheep. Romania exported live stock worth over 180 million Euros and sheep and goat meat amounting to more than 35 million Euros. Sheep farming relies extensively on exports, because Romanians are not regular consumers of lamb and mutton.



    ASYLUM – 900 people applied for protection from the Romanian state in the first half of the year, 55% fewer than in the corresponding period of last year. According to the General Inspectorate for Immigration, the largest number of asylum seekers come from countries like Iraq, Syria and Iran, and the largest number of applications have been submitted to the centres in Bucharest and in Timişoara (in the west). Close to 950 other people have been included in an integration programme.



    GREECE – The Greek authorities made public the latest toll of the wildfires that ravaged several towns and villages near the capital city Athens last week: 92 dead, 25 missing and 28 unidentified burnt bodies. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, 4 foreign citizens are among the victims. On Monday the PM of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, visited the villages of Mati and Rafina. An investigation is under way, looking into the causes of the tragedy. (Translated by AM Popescu and D. Vijeu)

  • July 31, 2018

    July 31, 2018

    MOTORWAY – Traffic on the 3rd and 4th segments of A10 Motorway, connecting the towns of Sebeș and Turda, in central Romania, was opened on Monday night, 4 years after the works began. The 2 segments total 27 km. The entire motorway will be around 70 km long. The costs of the project amount to roughly 40 million euros, with 75% of the amount coming from the EU under the European Regional Development Fund, and 25% from the state budget.




    SWINE FEVER – Romanian pig farmers having lost animals because of the African swine fever outbreak have so far received compensations of nearly 28,000 euros, the relevant authorities have announced. The compensations are granted both for the animals slaughtered in view of containing the swine fever hotbeds, and for collateral damages. In order to prevent the disease from spreading, restrictions have been introduced in certain areas regarding the transport of pork products, and citizens have been informed of relevant prevention measures. Since the beginning of the year, 440 African swine fever hotbeds have been identified in Romania, both in large farms and individual households.




    WORKERS – Over the past few years Romanian companies in hospitality, catering, light industry, agriculture and constructions have hired workers from outside the EU. Most of them come from countries with living standards below those in Romania, like the Philippines, Nepal, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Thailand. Romanian employers have resorted to this strategy for various reasons, including the migration of domestic workers to more developed countries in western Europe, a drop in birth rates, labour mobility requirements and the inability of the national education system to adjust to the needs of the local labour market.




    SHEEP FARMING – Romania, the 4th largest sheep and goat breeding country in the EU, last year imported mutton and lamb worth 3.5 million euros, from countries as far away as New Zealand. According to data made public by the National Statistics Institute, last year 11.5 million sheep and goats were bred in Romania, of which some 10 million sheep. Romania exported live stock worth over 180 million euros and sheep and goat meat amounting to more than 35 million euros. Sheep farming relies extensively on exports, because Romanians are not regular consumers of lamb and mutton.




    GREECE – The Greek authorities made public the latest toll of the wildfires that ravaged several towns and villages near the capital city Athens last week: 92 dead, 25 missing and 28 unidentified burnt bodies. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, 4 foreign citizens are among the victims. On Monday the PM of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, visited the villages of Mati and Rafina. An investigation is under way, looking into the causes of the tragedy.




    ASYLUM – 900 people applied for protection from the Romanian state in the first half of the year, 55% fewer than in the corresponding period of last year. According to the General Inspectorate for Immigration, the largest number of asylum seekers come from countries like Iraq, Syria and Iran, and the largest number of applications have been submitted to the centres in Bucharest and in Timişoara (in the west). Close to 950 other people have been included in an integration programme.




    MIGRATION – The US president Donald Trump praised the Italian PM Giuseppe Contes firm stance on migration, during a meeting with the Italian official at the White House on Monday. Trump added that many other countries in Europe and the world should do the same. Giuseppe Conte is heading a right-wing government whose Interior Minister has taken a tough position regarding immigrants. According to the Italian government, the people rescued from the Mediterranean should no longer be brought into Italian ports.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Compensations and Irrigations

    Compensations and Irrigations

    Local authorities in counties affected by the drought are assessing the extent of the damage. Special committees have been set up, charged with drawing up an inventory of fields where crops have been compromised. A list of loss-reporting farming companies and individual farmers will be subsequently submitted to the Government. According to initial estimates, the most affected regions are in the north-east, while corn crops are currently the most affected.



    Laurentiu Baciu, the head of the League of Farmers’ Associations told Radio Romania that that situation might trigger a hike in produce prices over the next period. On the other hand, the Government hopes to get the European Commission offset part of the losses reported by the Romanian agricultural sector. Agriculture Minister Daniel Constantin promised all farmers affected by the drought would be compensated after an accurate assessment of the damage has been completed. Daniel Constantin:



    “We are negotiating with the European Commission to compensate farmers starting this very year, within a reasonable amount that should help them continue their farming activities”.



    The severe drought is not the only underlying cause of the disaster in Romanian agriculture. Another contributing factor is the irrigation system, dating back to the communist period, which covers only 10% of Romania’s farmland, tantamount to 300 thousand hectares, as compared to the 3.3 million hectares prior to 1989. The rehabilitation costs for the national irrigation system are estimated at nearly 1 billion euros. Here is Minister Daniel Constantin again.



    “We will make sure to use European funds to encourage more farmers to get irrigation facilities without which they cannot use the water, although their fields have access to water”.



    Minister Constantin suggested that including Romania in the so-called “Juncker Plan” might help our country rehabilitate its irrigation system using European Funds. The Juncker Plan is a public investment programme earmarking over 300 billion euros worth of structural funds to Member States. Moreover, the Romanian official did not rule out a political agreement among parliamentary parties, which can result in a law for the rehabilitation of the irrigation system over the next five years.


  • Support for bee farmers

    The first apiary complex in the world was built in Baneasa, near Bucharest, at the beginning of the 1970s, which shows how important bee-farming was for Romania at a time when agriculture was an important part of the country’s economy. Most of the products deriving from bee farming were exported, which, in the opinion of the communist government of the day, significantly improved the country’s image abroad. When the communist regime collapse in 1989, bee farming went into decline, in particular as a result of the dismantling of the communist farming cooperatives, local structures into which the communists had split farming activity following the seizure of privately-owned land between the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1960s.



    Twenty-five years after the fall of the communist regime, Romania’s bee farming sector is seeing a revival. Romania is in fact 4th in Europe in terms of its bee farming production. However, just like in the communist years, most of it is exported. At 500 grams per inhabitant per year, Romania’s domestic consumption is far below that of other European states, such as Germany, with its 2 kg per inhabitant per year. Because of bad weather, production dropped this year.



    The agriculture minister Daniel Constantin promised to approve aid worth almost 1 million euros this week to help bee farmers. He said the government was also looking for ways to compensate cattle and sheep breeders who can no longer export livestock because of the bluetongue disease. Daniel Constantin, speaking about possible solutions to help these farmers:



    Daniel Constantin: “If exports of livestock are restricted, we will try to export carcasses and develop abattoirs, so we will probably come up with a specific strategy in this respect in the coming period.”



    Farmers have not lost hope yet. Dumitru Andresoiu, the vice-president of the Pro Ovis Federation:



    Dumitru Andresoiu: “We hope to identify the origin of the disease and prevent it from spreading all over the country. Exports in the meantime have stagnated.”



    Problems in the field appeared when Jordan announced a ban on meat imports from Romania, which was the second largest supplier of meat for this Middle East country, after Australia.