Moldovan wine exports to Ukraine threatened after meat import suspension
Moldovan wine exports to Ukraine may be impacted following the Republic of Moldova's temporary suspension of meat imports from Ukraine. If a ban is implemented, it could result in losses of approximately 35 million dollars. However, bilateral negotiations are ongoing, and ensuring consumer protection remains a priority for the authorities, as stated by Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Ludmila Catlabuga, during the "Pe făță" show on Moldova 1.
The trade balance between Ukraine and Moldova presents some challenges, particularly regarding the wine sector, which primarily focuses on distillates and spirits. While we do not want to lose the opportunity to continue exporting, it is essential to convey a clear message that we hope will resonate at the diplomatic level with embassies, ministers, and relevant agencies. Our goal is to secure the guarantees that our citizens expect. It would indeed be a loss for the sector to miss out on entering any country or market, but I hope we can avoid those discussions.
The minister emphasized that the recent measures suspending meat imports from Ukraine were implemented to protect Moldovan consumers. However, these imports could gradually resume under stricter controls to ensure the poultry meat entering the country is safe.
“Our top priority is consumer protection. In light of the detection of prohibited substances that should not be present in food products, we have requested clarifications and guarantees that everything certified by the Ukrainian side as safe is indeed safe for our consumers,” she stated.
Regarding the internal capacity to address potential shortages, the minister noted that the domestic poultry sector is growing rapidly and that local farms can help ensure market continuity. Additionally, processors have access to other markets, such as Poland and Romania, which minimizes the risk of supply shortages.
The National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) has decided to temporarily suspend imports of poultry meat and poultry products from Ukraine. This decision was based on investigations that revealed the presence of metronidazole, a harmful antibiotic, in batches of feed previously imported from Ukraine.
On January 9, ANSA also temporarily suspended the import of compound feed from Ukraine after official controls detected residues of the same prohibited substance in blood serum samples, feed, and eggs from poultry farms.
Furthermore, at the beginning of January, at least 110,000 birds were destroyed after 17 inspections of feed warehouses, farms, and slaughterhouses in several regions of Moldova, where metronidazole was detected in serum and feed samples.
