epaselect epa13241601 Romanian shepherds, farmers and their supporters scuffle as they are being sprayed with tear gas by riot-police officers during a protest held in front of the Romanian government headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, 15 September 2026. Thousands of shepherds from across the country gathered in the capital, unhappy with the extension of the ban on live sheep exports until 31 December 2026 — a decision by the European Commission prompted by outbreaks of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and sheep and goat pox, and attributed to insufficient preventive measures by the authorities. Farmers in the crop sector, who had been promised compensation of 100 euros per hectare for drought-affected crops, are also protesting because they will ultimately receive only 19 euros per hectare, an amount that fails to cover the losses caused by the extreme and prolonged drought. EPA/Robert Ghement
Romanian shepherds, farmers and their supporters scuffle as riot police spray them with tear gas during a protest outside the Romanian government headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, on September 15, 2026 [Robert Ghement/EPA]
Published On 15 Sep 2026

Riot police have clashed with Romanian shepherds and farmers as they rioted during a protest against a ban on livestock exports due to disease.

About 2,000 people gathered to demonstrate in the capital, Bucharest, on Tuesday against the extension of a live sheep export ban, imposed by the European Union due to the highly contagious small ruminant plague. As in other protests by farmers across Europe in recent years, the rally was encouraged and supported by far-right forces.

Recommended Stories

list of 1 itemend of list

Violence broke out in front of the Romanian government building in Bucharest when some protesters demanding the reversal of the ban began throwing rocks, metal barriers and other objects at law enforcement.

Police responded with tear gas in a bid to disperse them. Twenty-six people were detained, riot police said in a press release.

Twenty-four demonstrators and police officers required medical attention – some for broken bones, others for the effects of the tear gas. Four were hospitalised.

The government and the opposition called on the demonstrators to refrain from violence.

epaselect epa13241554 A Romanian protetster argues with riot-police officers during a protest held in front of the Romanian government headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, 15 September 2026. Thousands of shepherds from across the country gathered in the capital, unhappy with the extension of the ban on live sheep exports until 31 December 2026 — a decision by the European Commission prompted by outbreaks of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and sheep and goat pox, and attributed to insufficient preventive measures by the authorities. Farmers in the crop sector, who had been promised compensation of 100 euros per hectare for drought-affected crops, are also protesting because they will ultimately receive only 19 euros per hectare, an amount that fails to cover the losses caused by the extreme and prolonged drought. EPA/Robert Ghement
A Romanian protester argues with riot police officers during a protest held outside the Romanian government headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, September 15, 2026 [Robert Ghement/EPA]

The demonstration was called by farmers and shepherd groups. Protesters held banners calling on the country’s president and prime minister to resign.

Some chanted the name of far-right politician Calin Georgescu, a former presidential candidate who is standing trial for acts against the constitutional order following the annulment of the presidential elections in 2024.

Supporters of Georgescu had shared messages on social media ahead of the protest, asking people to join.

George Simion, the leader of the main far-right group in the country, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), wrote on Facebook that “AUR stands with the farmers and all working Romanians”, but called on protesters to demonstrate peacefully.

‘Legitimate protest to street fighting’

The Romanian government said in a press release that the protest had “degenerated into regrettable acts of violence” and called for “calm”.

President Nicusor Dan condemned the “extremely serious” violence and “any attempt to turn a legitimate protest into street fighting” in a social media post.

Romanian shepherds had protested outside the government building at the end of July over the EU ban on live sheep exports, which expires at the end of 2026.

The country of 19 million people has been struggling for months with the highest inflation in the EU and a political crisis with no end in sight.

The pro-European government, which adopted austerity measures to rein in a high budget deficit, was brought down in a no-confidence motion in May, and a divided parliament has failed to confirm a successor.