BUSINESSES DISPLEASED WITH THE WAY ANSA CARRIES OUT BORDER CONTROL OF FOOD PRODUCTS

The business community is displeased with the way the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) carries out border control of food products, based on risk assessment. The American Chamber of Commerce in Moldova (AmCham Moldova), representing the interests of private business in the country, has voiced this opinion in a letter to Prime Minister Maia Sandu.

The AmCham Moldova pointed out that today there are no legal acts or projects, which would define the type of control, which should be carried out by the ANSA inspectors.

“According to the legislation, in the framework of veterinary-sanitary control, phytosanitary control, security control of food products and control of control of phytosanitary means and products which increase soil fertility, the Agency applies selectivity, including automated one, which is a process based on risk assessment, profiles and risk indicators, study of documents. Until now there have not been identified any legal acts, projects, regulations which would define the way of creating and functioning of a risk assessment system to determinate the type of control, which should be carried out by the ANSA”, states the letter.

The AmCham Moldova has conducted a survey among the largest importer tax payers in 2019-2020. Thus, 70 import operations have found out that all kinds of control have been carried out at 100% (documentary, personal and physical). The AmCham noted that most of the cases were imports from the EU.

“During the survey, the importer noted that the border inspectors take goods from trucks under the pretext of taking samples, without issuing any documents of goods collection”, reads the AmCham letter.

The Chamber representatives believe that this practice leads to higher costs for the private sector in the form of tariffs payment for ANSA services owed to the carriers for placing trucks at the border crossing checkpoints, as well as cassation of a large quantity of goods.

They gave an example of the neighboring Romania, where according to the project on set food safety standards of non-animal origin, personal and physical control is carried out only in 30% of goods transportation depending on the risks and annual safety control program for certain food products.

The AmCham Moldova asks to organize a meeting in an expanded format during the Economic Council under the Prime Minister and discuss measures, which are necessary to be taken by the state authorities to improve the importers’ situation.

Infotag’s dossier: The AmCham Moldova is a nongovernmental, noncommercial organization of private business in Moldova. It is part of a worldwide network of 125 American trade chambers. Currently, the AmCham Moldova has about 110 members, which represent leaders of Moldovan business circles, starting from the largest foreign investors to small private companies.