Belarus Expects Rosselkhoznadzor Inspections in January 2008

The Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs of Belarus is expecting another inspection by the Russian Federal Agency of Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) in January 2008, Mikhail Bushilo, a deputy chief of the main veterinary department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs of Belarus, told a press conference on December 26.

According to him, this year all companies have been entitled to import their products to Russia independently of whether or not they have been certified by the Russian agency. The previous import rules remain in place for Belarusian companies until March 1, 2008. As Russia has lately focused on companies in Poland and Ukraine, thirty companies in Belarus will be inspected in January 2008.

These companies include 10 meat-packing factories and 13 dairies, 6 battery farms, including 4 egg-producing facilities and also Mogilev gelatinoid-making plant.

According to Mikhail Bushilo, the Russian agency has certified 74 companies including battery and fish-processing plants.

Currently the materials concerning six processing companies of Belarus seeking to import their products to the EU are under consideration of the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General of the European Commission. For that they need to pass the EC certification. First of all, they need to get into the list of companies subject for EC inspections in H1 2008. The European Commission is studying the materials concerning Savushkin Produkt Dairy, Santa Bremor, Volkovysk dairy, Bereza cheese-making facilities, Grodno and Volkovysk meat-packing factories. “Now we are waiting for a reply from the EC Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General,” Mikhail Bushilo said.