Russia, Norway to collaborate on controling quality of fish products

The Russian Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Monitoring Service (Rosselkhoznadzor) together with the Norwegian colleagues plans to create a joint electronic system to control the quality of Norwegian fish products, supplied to Russia and countries of the Customs Union (CU), Rosselkhoznadzor’s press service stated on Friday, commenting on the results of a meeting of the two countries’ chief veterinary officers - Yevgeny Nepoklonov and Kristina Landsverk that was held on September 5. Russia’s veterinary watchdog has proposed negotiations at the level of the two states’ chief veterinary oficers to work out steps aimed at ensuring safety of Norwegian fish products delivered to Russia and CU countries as a top priority measure for the protection of the Russian market from dangerous food products from Norway. It is planned, in particular, to create a joint electronic system that would monitor any batch of such products in the online mode. “The sides agreed that the Russian-Norwegian dialogue at the level of the chief veterinary officers on the creation of a system, guaranteeing safety of Norwegian fish products delivered to the Russian market, is needed. The next talks will be held in Moscow during the Golden Autumn international agro-industrial exhibition in October,” the press service said. The meeting was held in Lithuania on the sidelines of an international seminar on fighting the classical and African swine fever. The Rosselkhoznadzor official familiarised the Norwegian colleague with numerous cases of violation of Russia’s and Customs Union legislation during the deliveries of chilled fish, detected during inspections on the state border, in the course of laboratory monitoring of product safety, as well as by the inspection of Norwegian fish processing plants. Russia’s chief veterinary officer expressed serious concern over the “extremely nonconstructive position” of the Norwegian authorized body - Mattylsinet, which is responsible for the veterinary certification of supplied Norwegian fish products.