A BATCH of meat imported from Greece was not necessarily unfit for consumption or rotten, but was suspect because of misleading documentation, Agriculture Minister Photis Photiou said yesterday.
The Agriculture Ministry was alerted when it became apparent that a batch of 950 slaughtered lambs did not originate from Greece but had been bred in Bulgaria or Romania.
Documents from the importer, claiming that the meat originated from Greece did not match original documents in the hands of the Greek authorities, indicating that the meat came from a third country.
Questions also arose over the suitability of the meat after Veterinary Services found that a percentage of the animals had not been properly marked.
The shipment will be returned to Greece. Greece’s Ministry of Agriculture is also investigating.
A second shipment destined for the same importer, based in Larnaca, has not cleared customs at the port of Limassol.
Photiou repeated yesterday he had strong evidence of a “ring” of profiteers who imported “sub-standard meat”.
He said he had reports from “a number of sources,” and that, according to his information, people working for the Veterinary Services in Cyprus might be implicated in the scam.
“There are two issues here. First, the forging of export documents and, second, incorrect branding on the meat.”
Head of the Veterinary Services Giorgos Neophytou explained:
“In Greece, any animals imported live and culled there, and which remain in the domestic market, are stamped with a certificate of suitability and a seal designating the country of origin.
“But for animals that are then exported to other countries in the European Community, these do not carry a stamp with the country of origin. However, this information must appear on the accompanying [export] documents.”
Cypriot legislation that was passed last year states that consumers should be made aware of the country of origin of any meat on the Cypriot market.
However, Neophytou conceded that there is a loophole in the law, because currently it does not oblige butchers to place tags on meat indicating that the animal has been culled in Greece but originates in Bulgaria.
“This point is not clear. It is the first time we are dealing with this sort of thing,” he added.
For the time being, he said, it was up to the butchers to coordinate with importers in ensuring that meat available on shop shelves was accurately branded.
That means there is no way for consumers to know where the meat derives from. Even though imported products might be of the same – or even better – quality than home-grown ones, Cypriots may be more inclined to support the local produce.
There might also be a slight apprehension among consumers about meat that has been stored in containers for days before arriving in shops.
In supermarkets, prices of local and imported meats are generally on a par. However, it costs merchants less to trade in imported meat. The concern is that imported products are being passed off as local, and thus sold at higher prices than what they should be, allowing middlemen to make a killing.
The allegations of sub-standard meat entering the Cypriot market took an astonishing twist this week, when Photiou revealed that he and a senior official from the Veterinary Services had both received threats.
The official in question had been appointed by Photiou to investigate whether meats were being imported without the proper procedures.
The minister yesterday did not wish to comment on the threats.
“The matter is in the hands of the police now,” he said.
