BiH Minister of Foreign Commerce and Economic Relations Mirko Šarović met today in Sarajevo with representatives of dairies from Sarajevo, Bihać, Kozarska Dubica, Livno and Gradačac, reports Fena.
Šarović said that BiH is soon to get the document or sets of documents that will establish so called the vertical command chain in control of milk quality which is one of the key preconditions for the arrival of the mission of the Food and Veterinary Office of the EU to BIH and also it is a precondition for the export of milk and milk products to the EU.
In the last few weeks a large step was made in negotiations at all levels of governments in BiH and two ministerial meetings of ministers of agriculture of FBiH and RS were held.
Having in mind that Croatia is soon to become the EU member, and since BiH milk producers exported a great deal of their products to Croatia, Šarović said that meetings with cantonal ministries were constantly held in order to prepare milk producers for that event.
Šarović said that the Office of Veterinary of BIH greatly contributed in harmonizing BiH legislation concerning the production of milk with the EU.
He also noted that those documents are agreed upon, and that next week there will be a signing of an annex of the protocol with competent ministries and with 10 cantonal ministries and District Brčko.
‘Text of the protocol was agreed upon. With this protocol we’ve established the vertical structure, command chain and we’ve made the Office of Veterinary a key institution in dealing with the export of milk and milk products. The office will control the quality of the products which will be exported to the EU’, said Šarović.
After the protocols are signed next week, BiH Ministry of Commerce and Economic Relations of BiH will ask that Brussels organise an urgent session of the Mission the FVO in BiH.
Dairies ‘Milkos’ from Sarajevo, ‘Mlijekoprodukt’ from Kozarska Dubica, ‘Meggle’ from Bihać, ‘Mljekara’ from Livno and ‘Zott See’ from Gradačac are candidates for the FVO inspection and the positive mark of the FVO would enable BiH milk producers to export their products to the EU.
Manager of the Office of Veterinary of BIH Ljubomir Kalaba has noted that this protocol is an interim solution until the Law on Food, Veterinary and Agriculture is passed.
(photo: mojezdravlje.ba)
