January 8, 2012

Imports of health-hazardous products from Norway to Russia are growing, as claimed by Russian federal sanitary watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor.

Lab tests reveal salmonella in salmon, and enteric bacteria in Atlantic salmon and king crab.

Rosselkhoznadzor has sent a letter to Norwegian food control authorities expressing a serious concern on the current situation that "may restrict imports of Norwegian fish, sea and fish products to Russia and other countries of the Customs union".

According to Rosselkhoznadzor, despite guarantees secured by the Norwegian side, imports of fish that is dangerous in sanitary terms have recently become of frequent occurrence. 

Russia's ban on Norwegian fish imports will surely be a serious blow to Norwegian fishery market, says Timur Mitulov, the head of analytical department of the fishery information agency, to nord-news.ru. The Norwegians may forward their export flows to the US, Japan and China, yet that will significantly increase expenses due to logistics and distribution efforts.

Be that coincidence or not, Russia happens to make explicit threats to ban Norwegian imports of fish in the moments of economic tensions between the two countries. Thus, October 05, Rosselkhoznadzor closed down the Russian market for several Norwegian fish producers in the background of scandal detainments of Russian fishermen in the waters of Svalbard.

As pre-scheduled earlier, on February 8-10 the countries are to discuss fish products control issues and Svalbard controversies within a joint Russia-Norway commission.

However, this is not only fish that has recently stepped between the neighbours. In the heat of nervous negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on gas supplies, Norway came up with its gas sale offer for Ukraine at a better price.