Norwegian Food Authority said it does not recognise claims from Russian veterinary authority Rosselkhoznadzor on the quality of exported salmon and trout from Norway.
Recently, Rosselkhoznadzor sent a letter to Belarusian authorities urging it to tighten imports of Norwegian salmon and trout. According to Rosselkhoznadzor, banned and harmful substances in fish products made from Norwegian raw materials have been repeatedly shipped to Russia.
Recently, Norway posted increase in salmon and trout exports to Belarus – 97 per-cent of which is reported to Russia. However, Russian authorities are clamping down, mulling a potential ban.
Rosselkhoznadzor asked for a meeting of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, so that Norwegian salmon and trout farms could be inspected, but failed to reach an agreement.
Head of the Export and Import Section of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority Malin Elisabeth Florvåg told SalmonBusiness that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is not aware of repeated findings of dangerous and harmful substances in Norwegian salmon and trout.
“So far in 2019, we have received only one notification from the Belarusian veterinary authorities. This has been followed up with the relevant business,” Florvåg wrote in an e-mail.
Florvåg did not say what case this is about, but on Thursday Intrafish reported that in August a discovery was made of listeria a batch of chilled rainbow trout from Martin E. Birkenes (Firda), which was exported to Belarus via Ice Seafood.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority confirmed this to SalmonBusiness that it has received a request from Russian veterinary authorities about inspections of Norwegian fish processing companies, which have been answered in consultation with the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries, trade organisations and the Seafood Council.
“The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is preparing the visiting program for foreign colleagues in the coming year, and at this time has not been able to give a specific time when it will be appropriate to conduct such an inspection,” concluded Malin Elisabeth Florvåg.
