Fake labels, inflated prices getting slapped onto lambs and goats imported to meet Easter demand

EU report finds that failure to implement food safety laws distorts the trade and management of livestock and animal products

By Tania Georgiopoulou - Kathimerini

Greek borders remain crossing points for illegally imported animal products and livestock, even though authorities have tried to set up patrols to stop them.

That means that Greeks could again be buying lamb and goat meat this Easter that is labeled as local but is actually not. Apart from the identity issue, the illegal imports cannot be checked to see how they have been handled in slaughterhouses and meat-processing factories, raising public health risks.

These are the conclusions drawn from inspections conducted by European Union officials on September 12-23, 2005 into border inspections of meat imports and the handling of animal byproducts.

The observations appear in three reports drafted by the food and veterinary issues office of the General Directorate for Health and Consumer Protection.

They note that the existing inspection system does not ensure implementation of EU legislation on border inspection posts (BIPs). Shortcomings were observed in veterinary inspections — both cross-checks and on-the-spot inspections — at all BIPs, which in many cases accepted certificates that were not adequate or suitable for the products they accompanied.

Imported livestock was not unloaded for inspection. Animals that had been imported either for immediate slaughter or to be taken to livestock farms were not given the requisite blood tests. And sheep were imported from Bulgaria without any clear indication of their provenance on the accompanying certificates. Sheep were illegally imported from Romania, in trucks carrying more than the declared number of animals.

Animals were transported through Serbia and Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in trucks that had not been sealed. And no blood tests were performed on the aforementioned livestock, either. Cooperation was also an issue as authorities could not trace the itineraries nor track destinations of cargo that needed to be inspected.

The report says there is no official agreement between the central authority and customs authorities on cooperation and sharing responsibilities.

The report also notes that the selection of cargo for inspection depends on the declarations of the importers, since the customs officials never know exactly when an inspection will take place, as they should by law. Though BIPs must be given 48 hours warning of the arrival of a specific load, they often do not receive the warnings in time to check its identity.

When loads are declared to have come from EU member states (movement of goods is free within the EU), no checks are carried out to check the declared identity.

The report noted serious failings in the veterinary inspections of livestock, where inspectors found a shortage of veterinary staff and a lack of appropriate training. At the Peplo BIP, for instance, where three vets used to be employed, there was only one on the day of the inspection, and in Piraeus only three out of five remained. Meanwhile, the annual blood testing stipulated by EU legislation is not conducted nor is there any plan to do so.

There is no way of ensuring that all cargoes of animal products have been subjected to the requisite veterinary tests. And inadequacies in the veterinary tests harbor serious hazards for the health of the animals.

At most BIPs, storage areas for products and reception areas for livestock are inadequate. At the Evzones BIP, for example, there is no place to load or store frozen goods.

Animal byproducts which are not destined for human consumption are also poorly handled at slaughterhouses and food-processing factories, spiking public health risks.

There is no organized collection and transport system, and the leftovers are dumped in landfills without being processed or incinerated or placed in illegal dumps. Again, this increases public health risks since, as the report noted, people and animal have access to landfills and open dumps.

Despite repeated recommendations and promises by the responsible authorities to comply, no progress has been made in this area, and when breaches in the law occur, no sanctions are applied to the businesses concerned. There are also shortcomings in the system of monitoring compliance with legislation on animal byproduct management.