Ukraine may allow meat imports from Moldova

Ukraine intends to resume meat imports from Moldova, after the State Department for Veterinary Medicine of Ukraine had banned in March 2006 meat exports from Poland, Belarus and Moldova, due to cases of meat exports from these countries without required documents. According to the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, a group of four specialists will inspect eight meat companies, which have been selected by the Moldovan Government. Depending on the results of the audit, Ukraine will make a decision concerning imports of meat from Moldova to Ukraine. As the same source reports, the Ukrainian group was expected to come to Moldova on January 17. Requested in this regard, head of the veterinary medicine Division within the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI), Grigore Porcescu told Info-Prim Neo that the Ukrainian specialists did not reach Moldova yet, but they are expected to arrive in few days. Porcescu did not specify the particular eight meat factories, saying that this fact will be decided when the specialists will arrive. According to MAFI data, Moldova’s meat output does not even secure the domestic consumption needs. Just in the next 2-3 years there are opportunities that the domestic market, which needs about 135 thousand tonnes annually, be fully supplied with meat of Moldovan production. About 98 thousand tonnes of meat were produced in 2006, which is by 13 thousand tonnes more compared to 2005. In 2007, it is planned to produce 108-110 thousand tonnes of meat and import only 25 thousand tonnes.