KYIV. Aug 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection jointly with Odesa Regional Administration, Odesa customs office and business representatives initiate the launch of a pilot project to relax biosecurity control for fruit and vegetables.
“After long discussions in Odesa a model that provides for the balance of interests of the state and importers has been found. The proposed changes mean that fruit and vegetable samples will be selected once for the first batch of food supplied under a contract if the next batches are shipped under the same contract, by one sender or the supplier from the same country for the same buyer,” acting Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Myroslav Prodan wrote on his Facebook page.
He said that among obligatory conditions is that the exporting country must be a signatory of the International Plant Protection Convention, and importers are to present food origin and biosecurity certificates issued by the exporting country.
According to the proposal, vegetable (potatoes, tomatoes and carrots), fruit, berries, citrus fruit and other fresh fruit will be checked under the relaxed rules.
“I hope that the draft resolution will be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers,” Prodan said.
