OREANDA-NEWS  Italian Ambassador to Russia Giorgio Starace discussed with the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) the return of pet food producers to the Russian market. This is reported by RIA Novosti with reference to a source.

The interlocutor of the agency noted that Italy is concerned about the cessation of feed supplies to Russia. According to him, Starache planned to discuss this issue at a personal meeting with Sergey Dankvert, the head of the Rosselkhoznadzor, the negotiations took place today.

The Ambassador informed the head of the Rosselkhoznadzor that "Italian companies from the feed sector want to return to the Russian market and are ready to confirm their compliance with the requirements of Russian legislation for inspection." He also noted that Italy wants to restore scientific and technical cooperation with Russia.

In March, the Rosselkhoznadzor suspended the certification of feed and feed additives for pets from several manufacturers from Italy and France. The reason for the ban on the import of such products to Russia were numerous violations revealed during the inspection, in particular, the inconsistency of the composition stated on the packaging. Shortcomings in veterinary and production control were also revealed during the video inspection of foreign enterprises.

Earlier, Roskachestvo reported that 83 percent of dry cat food presented on the Russian market does not meet the requirements of the law. Manufacturers overestimate the content of vitamins and minerals on labels, in addition, 70 percent of brands found traces of pesticides that could get into the feed from plant raw materials or be used in the cultivation and storage of products.