In order to prevent the import of unsafe fruits and vegetables, the Food and Veterinary Agency (FVA) has stepped up inspections at border crossings. Inspections are conducted at all border crossings for each consignment of fruit and vegetables, regardless of country of origin. Despite tightened controls, increased is the number of samples for laboratory examination of the safety of fruits and vegetables imported in Macedonia. This practice, in the interest of consumer health, will continue in the future.
"The increased number of shipments imported into the country, necessarily requires more time to perform inspections and sampling for laboratory testing of fruit and vegetables. Each shipment, including fruits and vegetables, after receiving orderly result of the laboratory examination confirming their safety, without any halt immediately is placed on the market in the country", FVA says.
FVA recalls that in the past banned was the import of several consignments of fruit and vegetables for which a laboratory test found an increased presence of pesticides above the maximum permissible concentration. An analysis of risk was made, based on the results of the laboratory examination of imported shipments of fruits and vegetables that resulted in inconsistencies, based on the strengthened import controls.