OREANDA-NEWS. February 08, 2011. The Government of the Russian Federation adopted a decree abolishing veterinary support documentation for yield of water biological resources and raw materials from them, produced (fished out) in domestic waters, including internal sea waters, territorial sea, as well as in the exclusive economic zone and on the continental shelf of the Russian Federation, and then transported across the Russian Federation, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia. 

On 22nd July 2010, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) found that the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation violated Part 1 Article 15 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” (raising additional administrative barriers).

FAS Russia established that the requirements set by the orders of the Ministry of Agriculture are unlawful because they violated the antimonopoly law and resulted in additional administrative barriers on the market in question. In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture restricted activities related to sale of fish and sea products and created conditions for multiple inspections of economic entities.

According to FAS Russia, repeated inspections of economic entities are not expedient as market participants are forced to prepare and submit to the regional offices of Rosselkhoznadzor (the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phyto-Sanitary Supervision) the documents, most of which are copies of official documents issued by other federal and municipal executive authorities and their subordinate organisations exercising supervisory functions. Such documents include, in particular, sanitary and epidemiological certificates, vessel inspection reports, documents, confirming legality of the catch and produced products, etc.

“Now when veterinary support documents are abolished, to transport fish products it will suffice to have a copy of the permit for harvesting (catching) water biological resources, which already contains information confirming safety of water biological resources and the areas of harvesting (catch)”, emphasized Deputy Head of FAS Russia, Stats-Secretary Andrey Tsarikovskiy.