Dairies Milkos, Meggle, Livno and Mlijekoprodukt Can Export to the EU

On Friday, June 19, 2015, the European Union's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) informed the Veterinary Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina that all procedures proposed by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Action Plan for the control of production and processing of milk and dairy products intended for export to the European Union are considered satisfactory in relation to all FVO recommendations, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

As Kemal Hrnjić, director of Meggle Bihać Dairy, told the Patria agency, this is a historic day for the dairy sector of BiH.

- A lot of work has been done, and the four dairies that will export to the EU are Meggle, Milkos, Mljekara Livno, and Mlijekoprodukt - Hrnjić told NAP.

Ljubomir Kalaba, director of the Veterinary Office of BiH, said that the registration of dairies with export numbers will now follow.

- We will send a request today to be included on the list of approved countries, and probably next week we will have the control numbers for our dairies - Kalaba said.

The European Commission commends Bosnia and Herzegovina for establishing and adopting the Action Plan and expects all aspects of the Action Plan to be fully implemented in a coordinated manner, and without delay, throughout the country, by state and entity administrations. The FVO audit, which is to verify the full implementation of the Action Plan, is scheduled for 2016.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is already included in the list of countries that meet the conditions for exporting heat-treated milk and dairy products to the European Union, but before exports can begin, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have to submit a list of production facilities to the European Commission that have been assessed as compliant and proposed for export to the European Union. After the European Commission approves this list, Bosnia and Herzegovina can begin exporting milk and dairy products from these facilities to the European Union.

Although this is a very positive step forward in trade relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union, the European Commission also reminds of the need to now focus on adapting the trade part of the Stabilization and Association Agreement due to Croatia's entry into the EU.