EU standards in production of animal source foods

BELGRADE - A project meant to improve facilities for the production of animal source foods and management of animal by-products will be completed by 2016, and the EU has decided to grant Serbia EUR 2 million for the project.

The goal of the project is to reach the EU standards in slaughterhouses, meat processing and dairy plants and the system for management of animal by-products, Serbia's State Secretary for Agriculture Danilo Golubovic said on Tuesday.

The project will improve international trade in animal source foods, he stressed.

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Oscra Benedict pointed out the importance of protecting people's health and food quality and complimented the people in Serbia who are in charge of agriculture on their achievements so far.

The EU sets high standards when it comes to food safety and environment protection, he remarked.

Agriculture is definitely one of the fields that the EU will continue to support in Serbia, he stated.

The Serbian Ministry of Agriculture runs the twinning project together with the Dutch Food Safety and Consumer Product Administration, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and Latvian Food and Veterinary Agency.

The food production improvement council will advise the authorities on food production and management of animal by-products.

The participants of the meeting on Tuesday said the council will integrate the needs and aspirations of manufacturers, consumers and the government.

The agricultural industry could become one of the strongest pillars of the Serbian economy, they concluded.

Photo Tanjug, J. Pap (illustration)