Why European Standards Fail to Work in Moldova?

The scandal involving the supply of chicken products contaminated with metronidazole to consumers has exposed an unpleasant reality: European standards and regulations, which have been implemented for decades to ensure public safety, are largely used in our country as a smokescreen

The population has not yet recovered from the consequences of the African swine fever outbreak, which led to the mass culling of livestock and rising prices with additional costs for economic actors, when the country was struck by a new scourge – chickens and eggs contaminated with metronidazole. In both cases, the public was informed of the existing threats with a delay, while the selective nature of the decisions taken by the relevant authorities raises serious concerns about the actual enforcement of the supposedly implemented European standards and regulations. In November-December of last year, the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) regularly reported on measures aimed at preventing the import of substandard and health-hazardous food products into the country. ANSA inspectors announced the detention of consignments of dill and parsley with excessive pesticide residues, pomegranates and tea contaminated with pesticides, genetically modified potato starch, and confectionery containing prohibited food additives. In all cases, the volumes involved were relatively small, ranging from 1 to 15 tons, and were destroyed to prevent them from reaching store shelves. This could have given the general public the impression that the country’s borders were reliably protected from harmful products and that regulations, continually adapted to meet European requirements, were finally functioning. Moreover, ANSA took action against local dairy producers, demanding that they stop using the “BIO” label as it did not correspond to the actual composition of the kefir on the shelves. There were also recommendations on choosing red caviar for the New Year’s table. A separate “success story” unfolded around Moldovan chicken eggs, whose prices rose sharply. According to officials, the reason was their high quality, which made them a priority for export to the European Union. And if quality increases, so does the price. The logic is unpleasant but obvious. At the same time, cases of unscrupulous production were still being uncovered: on December 23, the agency reported the seizure and destruction of more than 130,000 eggs, containing the antibiotic salinomycin. Yet at the very same time as the authorities were reporting on their fight against substandard goods and promoting narratives in local media about the desirability of reducing imports from “politically unreliable” partners (above all the Russian Federation), large consignments of animal feed containing metronidazole, a drug banned in the EU as far back as 1997, were entering the country from Ukraine without any hindrance. It has long been known that large local meat producers operate on imported feed, mainly from Ukraine. It is more profitable for entrepreneurs to purchase feed abroad in the required volumes than to develop their own production and support local farmers. The same applies to medicines, vaccines, protective equipment, and other components – all of which are purchased outside the country. The situation worsened in the summer due to Ukraine’s introduction of export duties on grain to stimulate processing, as well as the abolition of our import licensing system for such products. Metronidazole, which is banned but freely available for sale, was found in Ukrainian animal feed, even though the veterinary certificates were formally in order. But this is not particularly surprising, given the current level of corruption in the neighboring country, which requires no further comment. However, our officials simply turned a blind eye to this. As it turned out, on December 9, the Laboratory of Hygiene and Veterinary Sanitation in Bucharest reported the detection of metronidazole in poultry on one of the Moldovan farms. It remains unclear why laboratories built in Moldova with European funds do not detect such substances, while tests have to be sent across the Prut River. Another thing is also clear: at least a month before the public notification about the dangerous products, officials already had the relevant information, but did not deem it necessary to promptly inform the population. At the very least, the products of one economic agent could have been recalled as early as mid-December. However, it appears that a decision was made not to “spread panic” on the eve of the New Year holidays. Instead, protracted investigations and selective checks of manufacturers were carried out. It was not until January 2 that ANSA reported the recall of chicken eggs from consumers, and on January 9, the destruction of 120,000 chickens infected with metronidazole. According to internal agency documents that have been made public, ANSA had official information about the presence of the banned substance as early as December 22. At that time, it was also known that contaminated feed imported from Ukraine had reached at least ten economic agents. Suppliers distributed the raw materials directly to farms without having their own storage facilities. For two weeks, the population continued to consume contaminated eggs without any public warning, and in the end, only two of the ten companies were sanctioned, even though the feed was purchased from the same suppliers. It has caused reasonable suspicion among the public that there is corruption and collusion aimed at eliminating competitors who are undesirable to the authorities, as well as deliberate understatement of the scale of the problem. The scandal forced officials to justify themselves and say that the situation was under control, while acknowledging that about a quarter of a million infected eggs had still reached consumers. It was stated that the contaminated meat had not reached store shelves and that the poultry had been destroyed. However, after everything that has happened, trust in such assurances is, to put it mildly, somewhat limited. There is no talk of resignations or personal responsibility, as is customary in EU countries. Criticizing Ukrainian partners is also considered unacceptable. Citizens have once again received clear confirmation of the incompetence of state bodies and their inability to ensure proper control, despite decades of reforms and millions of euros spent on modernization with the assistance of the European Union. This raises the logical question: why maintain a cumbersome bureaucratic apparatus that functions effectively only on paper and perpetuates provincial practices of corruption and nepotism, when in many areas the final authority still lies in Bucharest? Incidentally, the monthly salary of ANSA management exceeds 55,000 lei. In that case, wouldn’t it be easier to hand over control to the relevant structures across the Prut River and give up pretending to have effective state governance? Against this backdrop, Maia Sandu’s recent public statements about her willingness to sacrifice sovereignty in favor of Bucharest only reinforce citizens’ doubts about the advisability of preserving the Moldovan state project.