EU requires tighter standards on egg exports

Albania’s exports of class B eggs to the EU market dropped to 387 metric tonnes in 2013, down from 2,118 tonnes in 2012 and 1,303 tonnes in 2011.
TIRANA, Oct. 8 – Albania’s certification system requires refinement in order to ensure that certifying officers are in a position of certifying that eggs class B to be exported to the EU meet all the requirements contained in the export certificates, says the European Commission’s Health and Consumers Directorate-General in a report after an audit carried out this year.
In Albania there are around 275,000 poultry establishments. Only 16 establishments are considered as industrial holdings of which three are currently authorised to export class B eggs to the EU, said the Food and Veterinary Office after carrying out an audit to evaluate the control systems of production of eggs and egg products intended for export to the European Union.
Albania’s exports of class B eggs to the EU market dropped to 387 metric tonnes in 2013, down from 2,118 tonnes in 2012 and 1,303 tonnes in 2011.
While a comprehensive analysis of the Albanian legislation was not carried out by the audit team, the domestic laws applicable for export of class B eggs to the EU, proved broadly in line with EU requirements related to the scope of this audit. The report says procedures are in place for registering poultry establishments exporting class B eggs to the EU and sanitary conditions in the egg collection centres satisfactory.
“Rules and principles on official certification are in place and they are mainly in line with EU requirements. However the certification system does not ensure that certifying officers are in a position of certifying all the statements contained in the veterinary certificate as they certify data of which they have no personal knowledge or which has not been ascertained before signing the veterinary certificate.”
The report also found that veterinary certificates used for EU exports do not contain unique identifying number, compromising guarantees about the authenticity of the certificates themselves and their link with the relevant certifying officer.