
The ROSSELKHOZNADZOR explained that they turned to the governor, because the state of the veterinary services and the quality of their work in the region causes concern for the department. The report states that in 2022 alone, 18% of all livestock products in the region were found to be non-compliant with quality standards, and another 12% were found to be non-compliant with safety standards.
So, in the products manufactured in the Saratov region, they found pathogens, traces of drugs, GMOs, food additives banned in RUSSIA; manufacturers produced falsifications, replacing raw materials or using vegetable fats, and all this passed by the veterinary services. In 2023, according to the agency, the situation has not changed for the better, and already in the first months of this year, the number of detected violations, including in products shipped outside the region, has increased significantly.
As emphasized in the department, the reason for this state of the veterinary service may be the poor equipment of laboratories. According to the agency, only 9 out of 37 laboratories in the region are accredited, but even they do not have methods for determining many drugs or vegetable fats. Some labs simply don't have the lab equipment needed to detect even the simplest nonconformities.