Russia refuses Spain's request to postpone ban on meat imports
MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - The Federal Veterinary and Phyto-Sanitary Oversight Service (Rosselkhoznadzor), which is banning imports of refrigerated meat from Spain on March 29 and is planning to extend this ban to all meat products, has refused a request from Spain's veterinary service to postpone the restrictions for six weeks.
The Russian watchdog said in a statement that the situation was discussed during negotiations between Rosselkhoznadzor deputy head and Russia's chief inspector Yevgeny Nepoklonov, the head of Spain's agricultural production health department Valentin Almansa de Lara and Spain's Ambassador to Russia Jose Ignacio Garate.
Nepoklonov said the main problem is that Spain's veterinary service wrongly certified products shipped to Russia and other Customs Union countries. Russian experts who inspected Spanish producers found that their specialists were not familiar with Customs Union requirements.
"The situation is exacerbated by the fact that 82% of Spanish enterprises with the right to ship products to Customs Union countries and listed on the corresponding register under guarantees from Spain's veterinary service have never been inspected by it for compliance with Customs Union standards," Rosselkhoznadzor said.
As a result, in 2012 Rosselkhoznadzor found 73 violations in shipments of Spanish animal products to Russia, with 14 shipments returned to the supplier. Following lab monitoring of Spanish food products for safety, 29 enterprises were put on watch, and four of them were struck of the register of suppliers following second violations. Veterinary certification of regulated freight, inspectors found, is usually done without examination of the product.
Nepoklonov said that in order to address the shortcomings Spain's veterinary service could conduct detailed inspections of suppliers not checked by the Russian watchdog. However, exports of their products to Russia and other Customs Union countries must be stopped.
"However, if the Spanish side refuses to adopt a program of temporary self-restriction in regard to shipments and modernization of the control and oversight system, protective measures might be taken by Rosselkhoznadzor itself," the statement said.
Goodwill toward Spain's control and oversight system has been exhausted due to the unjustifiable veterinary certification it has practiced for a number of years, so the request not to restrict shipments for another six weeks cannot be granted, Nepoklonov said.
As Rosselkhoznadzor regains confidence in the work of the Spanish veterinary service, the restrictions might be lifted, the Russian watchdog said.
The representative of Spain's veterinary service said that he can only make the decision to impose temporary self-restrictions on shipments of Spanish products to Russia after consulting with Spain's agriculture minister.
