Russian vets adjusting current import certificates to new sanitary rules in Norway

Due to the implementation by Norway's State Service for Plant, Fish, Animal and Food Surveillance of Norway of new sanitary rules for food products and feeds, correspondingly changes have been made in the coordinated veterinary certificates for fish and fish products exported from Norway to the Russian Federation as well as for fish and fish products imported to and temporarily stored in Norway, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/ (https://www.fishnet.ru/) with reference to the official press-release of Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor).

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has been planning to unilaterally implement the new models of veterinary certificates for fish and fish products exported from Norway to the Russian Federation, and for fish and fish products imported to and temporarily stored in Norway from 01.03.2010.

It may be considered a violation by the Norwegian party of Point 8 of the Memorandum signed on 16.01.2009 by Rosselkhoznadzor of Russia's Ministry of Agriculture and the Food Safety Authority of Norway on cooperation in the sphere of safety control of imported and exported fishery and aquaculture products. In accordance with this Memorandum, the veterinary certificate for fish and marine products exported from Norway to Russia should be approved by Rosselkhoznadzor. Considering this, Rosselkhoznadzor informed the Norwegian party that import of fish products accompanied by non-coordinated veterinary certificates into the territory of the Russian Federation is not possible.

At present, seafood exports from Norway to Russia are accompanied by previously coordinated veterinary certificates.

Rosselkhoznadzor makes every effort to coordinate new veterinary certificates for these products as soon as possible, the Russian vets said in their press-release.

Background

Now 458 Norwegian fishing and processing companies are authorized for export of their products (except for salmon and trout) to the Russian Federation and 26 companies are allowed to export salmon and trout to Russia. According to some expert estimates, in 2009 the share of Norway in Russia's total seafood import amounted to ca.43%. The country took the first place among Russia's foreign seafood exporters, the second place taken by China holding a 6.5 times smaller share in the nation's seafood export. Herring, Atlantic salmon, trout and mackerel are the dominating products imported from Norway to Russia.