ANSVSA President Alexandru Bociu faces political and vaccine procurement scrutiny

Alexandru Bociu, the president of the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA), is facing scrutiny regarding his political backing and recent administrative decisions. Reports indicate that Bociu has secured political protection from Valeriu Iftime, a prominent PNL figure from Botoșani. This relationship has drawn criticism from veterinarians, who have expressed dissatisfaction with the current leadership.

Further controversy surrounds the management of livestock vaccines. While Bociu facilitated the receipt of 1.3 million free vaccine doses from the European Commission to combat sheep and goat diseases, Agriculture Minister Barna Tanczos clarified that these free doses are limited to the Tulcea and Constanța counties. For the rest of the country, Romania will need to fund the procurement of millions of additional doses. Tanczos suggested seeking intergovernmental agreements for vaccine production to avoid standard public procurement delays and legal disputes.