Kosovo horse-flesh sausage, Food and Veterinary Agency

The Food and Veterinary Agency has exposed the news that at the Kosovo market, horses whose meat is being used for the production of sausage are sold.

A person days ago was declared to be a medium, as in the Ferizaj market, he also sold his own horses, who, according to him, were bought more of the occupants. While the same had claimed that the horses being sold came illegally from Macedonia.

Asked about this, AUV has told IndexOnline that so far they have not received any controversial information. Even the same say that the slaughterhouses licensed in Kosovo in animal categories which they slaughter have no claim to slaughter horse-type animals.

The Food and Veterinary Agency has so far received no complaints from consumers or information arguing that any business operators deal with horse meat processing. News published in the media that a person with initials has stated that there is information about illegal animal trading must co-operate with competent authorities for random research. From information that is available as incomplete to us as AUV we can't find supposed addresses for illegal acts.

Maintaining the border for obstructing illegal crossings is the competence of Police and Customs. Every time they face smuggling of living animals or food products, they announce our authority and seek assistance for actions that are undertaken in co-ordination. In animal cases through animal identification and registration systems, we establish identity and conduct animal health control, seizure is done by Customs.

From our official checks exercised to the food business operators, namely to the slaughterhouses and meat processing factories, we have not encountered any cutting or processing of Cal's meat or meat of questionable origin. The butchers licensed in Kosovo in the animal categories, which they slaughter, have no claim that slaughtering horses' species” animals, says Lamir Thaci, official for informing the Food and Veterinary Agency.

The same goes on to say that these slaughterhouses during their work hours of slaughter are present to an official veterinarian who performs the animal's health control before the slaughter during the slaughter process and after the slaughter and all the slaughter reports to the system. They also slaughter animals that are not illegal.

We haven't reported it yet, no horse-like animals. All meat processors who are licensed are controlled by AUV veterinarian inspectors, during official checks have never been encountered in meat of questionable origin. They process meat from licensed slaughters or meat that comes from import and is controlled on borders, and for raw materials, they always possess valuable monitoring documentation. Lists of meat processing factories in Kosovo are published on AUV websites, and all are subject to official checks by AUV inspectors. They are assessed by the professional commission and are grouped according to the good conditions and practices that apply to production. Then, according to the category, the control frequency” is determined.

Thaci has added that illegal stings are illegal acts which are investigated by tracking organs.

Whoever has information about outside legal action must inform the police. Every time our assistance was requested for the control of an illegal address in our operations. First to control an illegal space that produces or puts food products on the market, laws determine that this should be done with police presence or under their leadership. For the concrete case at the moment the addresses where the alleged actions in co-ordination with other authorities are known we will act”.

Finally he indicated that the coordinator of the region's Office AUV's in Ferizaj is in constant contact with the police in this municipality and has reported on the suspicion which was raised in the media.