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Agriculture: Sheperds were left with one million sheep unsold due to the disease of blue tongue, thus losing 80 million euro
Over one million sheep were refused for export in the last two months due to the disease of blue tongue and are blocked in farms in the country, the shephers losing over 80 million euro, according to the Federation of Sheep Breeders Romovis.
‘The shepherds are blocked in farms with fattened goods’ stated for the Mediafax Nicolae Cioran, the vice chairman of Romovis.
He explained that due to the disease of blue tongue, the Arab countries which bought sheep from Romania banned imports. Under these conditions, over one million sheep were left unsold in the Romanian farms.
‘All the goods have been blocked since the beginning of October. There are sheep, young and mature who reached the quantity and quality for delivery but there is no market’ Jordan, Lybia and Lebanon banned imports in the last months’ Cioran added.
He stated that no country where there are problems with the disease of the blue tongue and who bought sheep from Romania, among which Turkey banned imports.
‘Unfortunately, in Romania these animals cannot be used, as there is no consumption at this level. We have to find new markets’ continued the representative of the sheep breeders.
The official of the federation says that a sheep is sold at 2.3-2.5 euro per kilo alive and weighs 35-40 kilos, estimating thus the loss of the sheep breeders at over 80 million euro.
The number of sheep in Romania are estimated at over 9 million animals, and annual exports surpass 5 million heads.
The first case of blue tongue in Romania was diagnosed on 22 August in Buzau county.
The disease is produced by a virus, it affects the ruminants and is transmitted only the sting of insects not through direct contact of the animals.
The economic losses are caused by the compensation for the killed animals, the expenses connected to activities of disease eradication (personnel,materials,equipment), expenses for the rendering of the territory and the activities of disinfection.