Emergency Financial Support Approved for the Sheep/Goat Breeding Sector in Romania

During its recent meeting, the Romanian Government approved a Decision on granting emergency financial aid in agriculture for the sheep and goat breeding sector, affected by adverse climatic phenomena.

The legal act provides for the allocation of emergency financial support through a grant-based aid scheme aimed at compensating agricultural producers in the sheep/goat breeding sector for economic losses caused by agricultural drought (pedological drought) during the period from September 2023 to August 2024.

“Through this emergency financial support, we are assisting sheep and goat farmers who were severely affected by the pedological drought over the past year. The lack of forage resources and the economic hardships have placed immense pressure on farmers. Without swift intervention, we risked a drastic reduction in livestock numbers and major imbalances in the agricultural market.

With this measure, we ensure that farmers can maintain their operations, purchase the necessary feed, and meet their financial obligations, avoiding over-indebtedness and the loss of their businesses. The Ministry of Agriculture remains committed to supporting agricultural producers and will continue to implement effective solutions to ensure the stability of the livestock sector,” stated Minister of Agriculture, Florin-Ionuț BARBU.

Details of the Financial Support

The amount of emergency financial support is set at 248 lei per head of young female sheep/goats, and will be granted for livestock holdings with between 50 and 300 head of young female sheep/goats, registered as of August 31, 2024, in holdings with an ANSVSA code (Romanian Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority) and a minimum of 50 head per holding.

Applicants with more than 300 head of young female sheep/goats will receive financial support only for up to 300 head per beneficiary, provided that they own at least 50 head per ANSVSA-registered holding.

Total Budget and Funding Sources

The total budget allocated for the scheme is 238,795,200 lei, equivalent to 48,000,000 euros, calculated at an exchange rate of 4.9749 lei per 1 euro. The funding is secured as follows:

• 107,457,840 lei (21,600,000 euros) from non-reimbursable external funding via the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF);
• 131,337,360 lei (26,400,000 euros) from the state budget, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's budget for the year 2025.

Application and Payment Schedule

Applications for emergency financial support and accompanying documentation must be submitted within 20 working days from the date of entry into force of this Government Decision.

Grant payments will be made by April 30, 2025.

Eligible Beneficiaries

Eligible for support are sheep/goat breeders who have submitted a valid payment application for the year 2024 under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability - Intervention PD-01 of the Strategic Plan 2023–2027, including:

• Natural persons (PF), authorized individuals (PFA), individual enterprises (II), and family enterprises (IF);
• Agricultural associations established under Law No. 36/1991, as subsequently amended and supplemented;
• Legal entities.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for aid, applicants must meet the following conditions:

• Own at least 50 head of young female sheep/goats, aged between 1 and 12 months, per holding with ANSVSA code, as recorded in the National Database (BND) on August 31, 2024.