Decision to stop importing agricultural products discussed with Russian ambassador

Chisinau, August 16 /MOLDPRES/- The leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA), together with officials of the National Food Safety Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration had a meeting yesterday with Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Chisinau Oleg Vasnetsov. The parties exchanged views on the decision of the Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service of the Russian Federation (Rosselhoznadzor) to temporarily suspend the import of agricultural products from our country.

Minister Vladimir Bolea reiterated the position regarding the concern of state institutions to protect consumers both on the local and international markets against the risks associated with the food chain.

"In order to elucidate all the causes and circumstances, we are open to forming a working group with the involvement of national experts and those from the Russian Federation, so that we can succeed in conducting a conclusive investigation. In order to avoid uncertainties and in order to strengthen confidence in the food security system of the Republic of Moldova, we propose to carry out visits to warehouses, to collect data, to identify existing risks and to liquidate them", said Bolea.

The diplomat said he is counting on fairness in the professional relations between producers and consumers and that he will make the necessary effort to accelerate the process of investigating the circumstances, establishing rounds of discussions with the responsible institutions in the Russian Federation, including to organize some visits if they will be necessary.

On August 11, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry received a letter from the authorities of the Russian Federation, where it is communicated that, starting from the current August 15, the import of plant products from several regions of our country will be prohibited, with except for the districts on the left side of the Dniester in the Republic of Moldova. The reason for this decision would be the non-conformity of the phytosanitary status of domestic plant products and the identification of five quarantine pests in the imported batches.

Photo: MAIA