Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Arjan Jaupllari said that these two draft laws focus on food safety and establish rules and rigorous control for animal diseases that can spread to humans and for plant health, their protection from pests and diseases.

Jaupllari noted that Albania aims for EU membership and must follow European standards in the production and safety of products, which, as he put it, “starts by approximating animal and plant health regulations with those of the EU”.

“Food safety and veterinary services are part of chapters 11 and 12 of the EU. Therefore, these laws will be a strong basis on which we will rely in the negotiation process”, he emphasized.

According to him, the draft law “On Animal Health” supports the livestock and food production sectors in the country in terms of sustainable competitiveness, job growth, investment and export of live animals and animal products. Jaupllari said that the law on animal health and the law on plant protection aim not only to guarantee the quality of production, but also to protect the environment. /j.p/p.s./

The conference had a special focus on African Swine Fever (ASF) and highly pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Jaupllari said that the conference conveyed the key messages of bioprotection through communication and awareness among farmers and producers that breed pigs. And that is of particular importance for the prevention of ASF.

The minister highlighted the fact that for the ASF disease, there is no effective vaccine for prevention and control. He highlighted the role of the Veterinary Service in performing control according to legal protocols.

“The ministerial emphasized the important role that the Veterinary Services of the countries have to control bioprotection requirements and the drafting of a clear legislative framework for implementation of these requirements”, stated Jaupllari.

ASF is currently present in many countries of the EU and the region such as North Macedonia, Kosovo, Greece and recently the disease has also appeared in the Republic of Montenegro, in wild pigs.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in order to protect the country from introduction of the African Swine Fever virus, has taken some immediate measures such as the prohibition and transit in the Republic of Albania of cargoes of live animals, their products, biological material , animal embryos of the pig type, fresh meat and their by-products, from countries, areas and territories where the disease has appeared, based on notifications received from the World Organization of Animal Health and from the electronic information system of animal diseases EU.

The Ministry of Agriculture said that in our country there are no cases of these diseases and that our structures are following the situation to prevent the spread of the Albanian territory./p.s./

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“There is a greater consumption of “Made in Albania” products, especially seasonal vegetables. Although there is no precise measurable indicator, we are happy that Albanian products have been consumed by tourists as an opportunity for sustainable tourism in the future. The special Albanian cuisine requires maintaining standards and food safety”, said Jaupllari.

Focusing on the steps taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the final completion of the alignment with the EU legislation regarding food safety, he emphasized that, “The food safety chapter is the most difficult chapter”.

“We aim to complete the alignment with EU legislation before 2026 because it is a process that will measure how much we are able to reach EU food standards”, Jaupllari stressed.

According to the figures of the Ministry of Agriculture, for the first time the Albanian enterprise in the 8th month period of 2023, increased by 17.3% the domestic consumption, which means 650 million USD. /r.e/p.s./