Russia lifts restrictions on meat export for two Moldovan companies

Chisinau, 10 May /MOLDPRES/- The Rosselkhoznadzor Federal Service for Veterinary and Phyto-sanitary Surveillance has said that it allowed partial resumption of meat imports from Moldova beginning with 8 May. Thus, the service reopened the Russian market for two companies: Mistor-Bras from Niscani, Calarasi district, and Tehnostel Car from Hincesti.

The two enterprises got the right to deliver beef, pork, mutton and horse meat to Russia. The decision was taken after  the Moldovan side had unveiled the the results of analyses on removing infringements identified as a result of an inspection carried out by Russian veterinary doctors, according to mold.street.com site, which refers to a note by Rosselhoznadzor.

In May 2014, the import of pork products was ceased, for reasons that a Moldovan company would have sent to Russia meat coming from EU. On 27 October 2014, Russia put an embargo on import of meat goods from Moldova, after several cases of delivery of "consignments of meat, the origin of which is unknown, unsafe from the veterinary and sanitary viewpoints," had been discovered. The Moldovan enterprises were suspected of re-exporting meat and that some certificates would be forged.

On 5 July 2014, the Russian service banned the import of meat from Moldova, claiming the violation of phyto-sanitary norms and requirements of the Customs Union in the sector by Moldovan companies.

In mid-October 2014, during five days, a joint commission of Rosselhoznadzor and counterpart institution from Belarus inspected and monitored jointly with local specialists four farms and a slaughterhouse. The experts provided no comments at the end of the visit; yet, the embargo was not lifted a few months after the inspection too.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)