The Russian government has approved a list of measures aimed at improving supervisory and licensing functions and optimising the provision of public services in the field of agriculture.

The text of the government’s Resolution No. 299-r of March 9 is available at the government’s website.

The government has set, among others, the following tasks:

-- abolishing import quarantine permits for the import of quarantinable products / quarantinable materials, quarantinable cargoes/, replacing the system of import quarantine permits with a system of public notices of phytosanitary requirements to be met by quarantinable products;

-- delimitating powers between federal executive bodies and regional authorities in the fields of veterinary, by delegating some of the powers to regional authorities;

-- creating the possibility to impose quarantine in a constituent entity of the Russian Federation by the authorised federal executive body if the top official of said constituent entity of the Russian Federation has failed to rake timely measures to impose quarantine;

-- transferring to duly accredited specialists and organisations the functions of assessing compliance of animal and livestock product with veterinary and sanitary requirements;

-- introducing an electronic system of executing and issuing veterinary accompanying documents; and

-- establishing a procedure under which enterprises that make and store livestock products are allowed to start operation by notifying the relevant authorities thereof.

The government approved an action plan for improving supervisory and licensing functions and optimising the provision of public services by federal executive bodies in the field of agriculture.

The Ministry of Agriculture has been instructed to submit action plan progress report to the government commission for administrative reform in 2010 on a quarterly basis by the 20th day of the month following the reporting period. The heads of federal executive bodies have been instructed to take all necessary measures to arrange for the implementation of the action plan. The government commission for administrative reform may amend the action plan without amending this order.


Itar-Tass