ANSVSA prepares to resume sheep exports to Libya, following an assessment of sanitary and technical conditions

Romania is preparing to resume sheep exports to Libya after an official Libyan delegation conducts a working visit from October 5–10 to assess the technical and veterinary sanitary conditions. The initiative comes ahead of the implementation of the Action Plan for resuming and securing live animal exports.

The Libyan delegation, received by the leadership of the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA), will verify the measures taken by the Romanian authorities to control the epidemiological situation and ensure the safety of the live animal trade. The program includes visits to farms, collection centers, sheep, cattle and poultry slaughterhouses, as well as the Institute for Diagnosis and Animal Health.

According to ANSVSA, the inspections aim to present Romania’s veterinary sanitary control system, biosecurity and traceability measures, as well as its capacity to diagnose and monitor livestock. The resumption of exports is conditional on the completion of immunization stages and compliance with the sanitary guarantees agreed with foreign partners.

Trade relations between Romania and Libya were suspended between 2011 and spring 2023 amid regional instability and international sanitary restrictions. Trade was relaunched after the negotiation of new veterinary sanitary certificate templates. In 2024, Romania exported live sheep worth $14.3 million to Libya.

The Libyan side has expressed its willingness to resume imports of Romanian sheep. Following the technical visit, representatives of the Libyan business community are also expected in Romania for talks on contracting animal volumes.