Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance “Rosselkhoznadzor” lifted the ban on the import of meat for two Moldovan companies. Contacted by phone by IPN, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Ion Sula said the information was published on the website of “Rosselkhoznadzor”, but the Moldovan authorities haven’t been yet officially informed about this.

The minister said that at the end of last October, when the import of Moldovan meat was stopped, the authorities of Russia and Belarus invoked deviations from Customs Union norms. Afterward, veterinary experts from Russia and Belarus visited the Moldovan exporting companies and formulated a number of requirements. The companies complied and a relevant report was sent to the Russian authority in February.

Ion Sula noted that the two companies that can resume the export of meat are based in Calarasi and in Hancesti. The arguments of “Rosselhokznadzor” are not yet known. The Moldovan authorities maintain a dialogue with the Russian authorities with a view to resuming the export to Russia not only of meat, but also of wine and cans.

“Rosselkhoznadzor” banned the import of meat and meat products from Moldova on October 27, 2014, while Belarus - on November 1 last year. The Russian and Belarusian authorities argued that the Moldovan meat often does not meet the safety standards and there were cases when the veterinary certificates were not authentic.