The Romanian Meat Sector – Characteristics and Post-Accession Assessments

The Romanian meat sector holds a significant share in agriculture; in the year 2007 its value represented 16.1% of total agricultural output and 41.8% of animal production. In the first year after Romania’s accession to the European Union, an obvious increase of total meat production by 12.3% compared to the year 2006 was noticed, due to the increase in the number of slaughtered animals in all species and of the slaughtering weight, mainly in the case of specialized industrial units. This positive trend also benefited from support from the state budget received for meat quality, for the classified pork and beef carcass, subsidies for the slaughtered chicks, as well as from direct payments for the bovine, sheep and goat farms. The domestic meat supply remained deficient, although production increased; yet it is worth mentioning that in the year 2007 the consumption coverage by domestic production represented 75.9% compared to 66.5% in 2006. The meat consumption per capita was at the same level as in 2006, i.e. 64.7 kg. Meat imports in 2007 totalled 338.5 thousand tons, down by 22.1% compared to 2006. Romania exported mainly live sheep and bovines, pig exports being banned due to swine fever.