Russian veterinary head negotiating seafood issues with director of Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service

As one of the events conducted in connection with the fifteenth summit of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), Sergey Dankvert, head of Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Rosselkhoznadzor, met with Stephen Hunter, managing director of Australia's Quarantine and Inspection Service of the nation's Department of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry. Mr. Dankvert studied the structure and functions of Australian surveillance bodies controlling food safety of agricultural and fish products exported from the country. The sides exchanged opinions about possibilities of further cooperation of Rosselkhoznadzor and the Australian service, according to Rosselkhoznadzor.

Under the agreements made during the meeting, three teams of the Russian vets will visit Australia until the end of the year 2007. The teams will visit veterinary laboratories controlling safety of meat products exported from Australia and will conduct a repeated check of Australian meat processing plants exporting their products to the Russian market.

The Russian vets will study the system of safety and quality control of finfish and other aquatic species exported from Australia. They are also to finalize the veterinary certificate for seafood products for export to Russia and will inspect fish plants willing to export their goods to Russia. The dates of the visits will be agreed later on.