It is practically impossible to export to the United States and Canada because our country has been unable to comply with the required specifications all this time. In fact, it is said that desperate traders export their products through Skopje.
Greek meats are “baptized” in Skopje to be exported: Greece -> Skopje-> USA-Canada.
For 14 years, since the mad cow era, Greek livestock farmers have been prohibited from exporting their products to the USA and Canada.
“We have had the conditions for more than a decade, but no one was interested in making the envelope and sending it,” states Lefteris Gitsas, President of the National Interprofessional Meat Organization.
“It is a process that has lasted more than 14 years”, says Giorgos Stratakos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Rural Development.
The competent American authorities consider that Greece does not meet the standards regarding the health and safety conditions of meat products.
“In Greece there is no serious control around our products, there are products on sale that should not be in stores and that is why the control is not serious”, notes Loustas Nikos, owner of a meat trading company.
He adds that “in a beef kebab, the predominant meat is chicken. So who will trust us as a country to be able to export. Two or three factories in Greece have serious specifications.”
The negotiations between the competent Greek authorities and the US counterparts in order to remove the obstacles began in the distant 2010 and to date have not been successful.
“We didn’t have the certificate certifying that the country has been freed from some zoonoses,” emphasizes Mr. Gitsas.
He adds that the file was filed late and I say late because last year in May, the World Committee for Animal Health met, saw the file that it was late and did not make a decision.
10 days ago the USA sent a new document to the Greek Ministry of Rural Development asking for clarifications and guarantees in order to lift the restrictions
“They come to check the entire production process from the stable, from the slaughterhouse, the processing industry, the storage points, the logistics that are maintained so that the product leaves the country and reaches the country that will be exported in this case the USA “, says Mr. Stratakos.
Greek industries that produce and market mainly Greek gyros and other meat products await the conclusion of negotiations in order to expand on the other side of the Atlantic
“Our side wishes to finish this process as soon as possible because we are the ones who wish to export”, states Mr. Stratakos.
Market agents, however, argue that Greek meats reach American stores via the indirect route.
We knew about sheep and goats from Skopje being baptized Greek, now there is information about meat products being baptized Skopje for export to the USA.
Others, however, attribute the American ban to a trade war between the US and Europe, with Greece being one of the weak links.
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