Negotiations between the heads of CU country-members

The meeting was held in Moscow. The Russian delegation was headed by Nikolay Vlasov, Deputy Head of the Rosselkhoznadzor, the Belarusian delegation � by Yury Pivovarchik, First Deputy Director of the Department of Veterinary and Food Surveillance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Belarus, Kazakh delegation � by Nigmat Zhakupbayev, Chair of the Veterinary Control and Surveillance of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan.

The meeting was held at the initiative of the Russian delegation and was devoted to the discussion of topical issues of interaction between the CU member countries in the veterinary field, in particular: changes introduced to the Provision on uniform procedure of joint inspections and sampling of goods (products) subject to veterinary control (surveillance); procedure of imposing restrictions on import of regulated goods from third countries, improvement of data exchange between the information systems of the member countries; internal veterinary certification of regulated goods imported from third countries and produced in the territory of the Customs Union, change of epidemic situation in the CU territory and in neighboring countries.

As for the procedure for imposing restrictions an agreement was reached that when one of the member countries imposed temporary restrictions on import of regulated goods from third countries to the CU territory these restrictions would be automatically extrapolated to the whole territory of the Customs Union and the country imposed restrictions should promptly publish the information on the reasons for the restrictions on its website with a restricted access and notify the other two parties. The same procedure of notification will be in place when the restrictions are lifted. The information system �Argus� will be used by Russia and Belarus for data exchange between the information systems of the member countries in issuing permits for regulated goods, and Kazakhstan will use �e-Agriculture�. A special protocol will be established for �Argus� and �e-Agriculture� interaction.

The Russian party proposed to switch from veterinary certificates issued in the course of transfer of goods under control from the territory of one CU member state to the territory of another member state in printed form, to veterinary certificates in electronic form. Electronic certification system was known to be used in New Zealand, European Union, USA and Brazil. Russian and Belarusian parties would use IS �Mercury� for that purpose. The Kazakh party informed that it would carry out internal veterinary certification using its own national information system.

The Russian party would prepare a draft of CU normative document on the use of electronic certification of goods under control being transported over its territory on behalf of other CU member states.

The parties discussed the situation existed in EU member-states due to the outbreak of disease caused by the Schmallenberg virus and agreed to share new information and scientific data obtained by the parties on the disease concerned. The parties decided to address the Eurasian Economic Commission (EurAsEC) with a request to prepare a draft of EurAsEC Decision on early informing about the exercises aimed at hazardous animal disease eradication in the territory of the state. The competent veterinary authority of this CU member state should inform other competent authorities. The Kazakh party informed on the epizootic situation with regard to FMD, sheep and goat pox in Kazakhstan. The Russian party in its turn informed that Federal programme of epizootic monitoring (laboratory investigations) started in Russia in the current year. Bluetongue virus serotype 14 was detected during monitoring in the Smolensk and the Kaluga Oblasts. It was observed that the virus concerned was constantly present in Asia and northern territories of Australia. The Russian party obliged to present monitoring investigations on bluetongue and asked the Belarus and Kazakh parties to present the equivalent information to the Rosselkhoznadzor.

The parties agreed upon the necessity to consider the issue on drawing a normative document on control of goods under surveillance imported from third countries to the territory of one of CU member states, which had passed the procedure of customs registration and were later transported between the CU member-states.

The parties will hold a technical meeting in Kazakhstan in early June, 2012 concerning the use of electronic systems for information exchange on import/export of products under control in the CU territory.

Source: www.fsvps.ru/fsvps/news 

Date: 27 April 2012