New Moldovan law tightens livestock and apiary regulations
The Parliament of Moldova approved amendments to the law on animal identification and registration in its first reading on June 18. The updated legislation aims to modernize the livestock and apiculture sectors while strengthening food traceability standards.
Under the new framework, the Agency for Interventions and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA) will handle compensation disbursements to farmers who lose livestock to infectious diseases. The law introduces mandatory registration for all animal species and integrates pastoral apiaries into the Bioprotect digital information system.
Apiary and household limits
State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Tatiana Nistorică, clarified that bee keepers owning more than 30 colonies must register their activity. Apiculturists with fewer than 30 colonies who do not register can only use their products for private consumption.
The reform also establishes clear limits for subsistence households. Such micro-farms are permitted to keep a maximum of 10 cattle, specifically split between five mature and five young bovines.
Political opposition and financial concerns
The legislation faced criticism from opposition lawmakers during the parliamentary debate. MP Constantin Cuiumju of "Partidul Nostru" questioned the financial burden on smallholders, stating that electronic identification tools could cost a farmer with 50 cattle around €242 (approx. 4,750 MDL), plus an additional €240 (approx. 4,700 MDL) for the scanning device.
Nistorică countered that the bill mandates registry enrollment rather than expensive electronic hardware. Socialist MP Petru Burduja also criticized the administrative burden, arguing that smallholders lack the time for paperwork.
Ministry officials emphasized that basic registration requirements have existed since 2007. The current updates simply provide digital cohesion, enabling automated alerts to protect registered bee colonies from local pesticide applications.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
