Since January 31, 2024, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision has restricted the pet food import into Russia from the Serbian enterprise Farmina Pet Foods.
Dmitry Golovchan, General Director of Farmina in Russia, officially commented on the situation:
“Farmina Pet Foods would like to provide clarification regarding the temporary suspension of product imports into Russia. There is no complete ban on the pet food supply, only a temporary restriction. Addressing the issue of arsenic presence in our products, I want to note that the level of arsenic found through laboratory tests is significantly below the maximum allowable level regulated by the National Standard of the Russian Federation GOST R 55453-2022 (Pet Food for Non-Productive Animals, General Technical Conditions). Farmina strictly adheres to safety and quality standards and is closely cooperating with competent authorities to resolve this issue as soon as possible.”
Earlier this week, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision reported the suspension of pet food imports from the Italian factory of Hill’s due to the delivery of substandard products. In November 2023, RFSA specialists inspected Italian enterprises and found violations both from the competent Italian authority and the pet food manufacturers themselves. Inspectors identified a lack of laboratory control over the pet food components listed on the packaging, incomplete thermal processing of raw materials, and a lack of information on the origin of the raw materials used for the cat and dog foods production.
In total, for 2023, RFSA specialists detected more than 44 instances of non-compliance and violations in pet food products. Among the violations, agency representatives mentioned the discovery of undeclared DNA from corn, rapeseed, wheat, and soy and the absence of declared DNA from trout, beet, turkey, and salmon.
