Six veterinary certificates set health requirements for trade between Libya and Romania. They cover live animals and animal products, but neither shipment schedules nor import volumes have been announced.
A Libyan delegation visited Romania from 5 to 10 October to assess conditions for safe exports. On 9 October, Romania's National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, ANSVSA, reported that the two countries had signed and initialed six veterinary health certificates.
One certificate covers live sheep. Others cover cattle and goats. The documents also cover meat and offal from sheep and goats, along with sheep-farming products. Separate certificates address poultry meat, fish and fish products.
Libya's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock presented the agreement as a way to address obstacles for suppliers while meeting veterinary and food-safety requirements. The signing was reported in Vâlcea County after discussions in Bucharest, including talks on 7 October. Libya was represented by Dr. Mohamed Al-Turki, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and Acting Chairman of the National Centre for Animal Health. Romania's representative was Dr. Alexandru Pociu, Undersecretary of the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Head of ANSVSA.
Animal-health safeguards were also on the agenda. The Libyan News Agency reported that the sides considered risks from peste des petits ruminants, or PPR. They discussed vaccination programmes and disease monitoring. Early laboratory diagnosis and the exchange of animal-health information were also covered. Those controls will determine whether the certificates can support regular shipments, rather than simply provide an agreed format for trade.
The agreement addresses the certification issue raised in an earlier sheep-trade report, which said inspections and veterinary certificates were still required before live-sheep exports could resume. Romanian reporting by ANSVSA's national news agency, AGERPRES, described Libya as a historically significant market for Romanian sheep farmers. It said the certificates' completion depended on an assessment of technical and sanitary conditions during the delegation's visit.
The regulatory milestone does not confirm that shipments have resumed. ANSVSA tied exports to the implementation of vaccination procedures and agreed health guarantees. Volumes and commercial contracts were to be addressed separately. Libya Observer has reported that trade between the two countries was suspended from 2011 to 2023, then resumed under updated veterinary arrangements.
For Libyan importers, the certificates could widen the range of compliant suppliers and products. Their effect on food availability depends on completion of the required health procedures, commercial agreements and actual deliveries. No shipment schedule or increase in supply has been announced.
