Russia and Canada to discuss safety of Canadian fish, fish and seafood products supplied to Russia

Working Meeting between Sergey Dankvert and Bruce Archibald, President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was held on the sidelines of the International Agroindustrial Exhibition Fair “Green Week – 2014” in Berlin, according to Russian Vet Authority Rosselkhoznadzor.

Bruce Archibald informed Sergey Dankvert on significant changes in the structure of Canadian competent authorities and, in particular, on the dual subordination of the CFIA – to the Ministry and Agriculture and Ministry of Health – come into force in October of the last year. To his opinion the reorganization will not affect the long established constructive and open interaction between the CFIA and Rosselkhoznadzor. The Canadian party, he emphasized, was committed to unfailingly comply with Russian and CU requirements as regards safety of Canadian food products regulated by the national competent authority and supplied to Russia and the Customs Union.

Noting a positive pattern of Russian-Canadian relations in the veterinary surveillance filed, Bruce Archibald expressed his gratitude to the Rosselkhoznadzor for the inclusion of the Canadian feed mill in the list of establishments authorized for export to the CU territory.

The parties were unanimous as regards the need for bilateral negotiations which should be arranged as teleconferences in the second half of February of the current year. The talks will be focused on safety of Canadian fish, fish and seafood products supplied to Russia.

Taking into account changes in the structure of Canadian competent authorities and the Rosselkhoznadzor’s concerns about actual capability of the reorganized CFIA to perform to the fullest extent appropriate technical recomendations under the conditions of its dual subordination, the parties agreed to postpone signing the Arrangement for shipping of meat free from ractopamine and other growth promoters from Canada to the CU countries.