Russia’s federal veterinary and phyto-sanitary authorities gave their initial approval to three Bulgarian companies to enter the Russian dairy products’ market, Bulgaria’s National Veterinary Medical Service said on October 29, as quoted by mediapool.bg.

The three approved companies were United Milk Company (OMK) from Plovdiv, the Kiril and Tanya firm in Yambol, Southern Bulgaria, and the Sofia-based Danone Serdica. A Russian mission visited the companies in early September to evaluate the veterinary control over animal stock diseases, as well as border inspections procedures in third countries and the observation of food safety rules, mediapool.bg said.

The final approval for successful candidates to operate on the Russian market would be given after a new series of checks by the Russian veterinary service, which had cut off access to the country for all Bulgarian producers. Moscow claimed that Bulgaria and Romania were untrustworthy with regard to food safety because of insufficient veterinary control. Furthermore, Russia was implying to the possibility of potentially dangerous products from third countries, which did not meet European requirements, to be sold as products of Bulgarian or Romanian origin.

Further inspections were to be made, to find out whether more Bulgarian dairy producers would be allowed access to the desire Russian market, mediapool.bg said.