ROMANIA | Sunday, 13 January 2013 | Views [861] | View Smaller Image
Six years after the mine in Rosia Montana was closed, local people can rely only on agriculture and on their livestock. It’s a simple life they have, but one full of joy. It’s the pleasure of working in the fresh air, the gratitude for the rain and the goodness of the sun that might probably be understood only by those who live in a close connection with nature. Most of the households have at least one or two cows. The grass is plenty and the meadows are rich in medical plants that assure highly nutritious and healthy meal for the cattle. Nobody heard about organic farming and bio products in this area simply because they don’t know any other way, nor can they imagine it. In 1989, there were 7.5 million cows in Romania. This number has decreased to 1.5 millions in 2012. The much awaited EU integration in 2007 did not help the small farmers: the Ministry of Agriculture does not support them and the European grants are out of their reach. So this is what a small farmer would get for their cow – a pierced ear with a registration number.
Tags: rosia montana, romania, cow