In a letter to Norwegian food safety authorities Mattilsynet Deputy Head of Russia’s Rosselkhoznadzor Nikolay Vlasov writes that as a result of inspections of Norwegian fish producers in June-July his organization has decided to lift the import ban from five Norwegian companies.
The same inspections revealed poor food safety regulations at two other companies, which are now banned selling fish to Russia, the organization’s web site reads.
Earlier this month Russian authorities threatened to ban all imports of Norwegian fresh fish arguing that they have found parasites in abundance. Norway exports salmon to 120 different markets, but it is only the Russian market which presents this kind of characteristics of the Norwegian fish.
Some experts believe the Russian fish import market is strictly controlled by state-supported cartels which efficiently block access of independent structures. Recently two importers were fined by Russian Anti-monopoly Authorities for cartel activities. In cooperation with food safety inspectors the importers are accused of trying to control imports of Norwegian fish, NRK writes. According to the charges, the importers have tried to get exclusive rights to sell Norwegian fish in Russia. In fish from companies that were selling to other importers, the inspectors discovered bacteria or heavy metals and the products were banned from the Russian market.
In 2011 Rossselkhoznadzor was found guilty by the Federal Antimonopoly Service in a similar case.
Over the last years, fish export to Russia has boomed and the Russian market is now the biggest for Norwegian seafood. So far in 2013, the Norwegian exports to Russia has declined year-on-year within practically all fish products, among them salmon (19%), trout (10%), herring (32%) and capelin (46%). However, the value of the Norwegian export remains significant. In the first five months of 2013, the export was worth €307 million, a five percent decrease from the same period in 2012, figures from the Norwegian Seafood Council show.
