Russia plans Polish meat inspections
Inspections of animal production establishments in Poland by Russia will go ahead, according to an EU official.
An EU official confirmed that nonetheless the inspections of Polish meat establishments are expected to begin on the 5th of February and will be carried out by the Russian authorities and the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO).
EU commissioner Kyprianou met Russian agriculture minister Alexei Gordeyev in Berlin two weeks ago, but was unable to draw any assurances from Russia that it would drop its ban on imports of Polish animal products.
Written assurances
The commissioner offered written assurances that Poland was in compliance with EU and Russian food safety standards, but the Russians said they needed time to examine the documents provided by the Commission before they could make a decision on the issue.
According to press reports, the letter received by the EU last week shows that Russia is not ready to lift the year-long ban for meat from Poland.
The Russians claim meat from Poland is unsafe, because these transports could contain traces from possibly inferior quality meat from Bulgaria or Romania, who have joined the EU as from January of this year.
Related websites:
• Food and Veterinary Office
• European Union
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