Use of Plant Passports to become Mandatory Within 2016

TIRANA, September 7

Plants and plant products that will circulate within the Albanian territory must be accompanied by a plant passport. This is one of the novelties that the new draft law on plant protection foresees. The plant passport defines all the conditions regarding specific phytosanitary states.
The purpose of the new legal initiative drafted by the Ministry of Agriculture is to increase food safety based on farm-to-table principle. Thus it will guarantee safety for plants from parasites and incorrect use of plant protection products. Moreover, the draft law also foresees tougher safety measures on imported and transit products.
This will be the first time that a draft law defines dispositions on traceability, packaging, and other statistical data on plant products. Any subject that will fail to respect this law, which is expected to be adopted within 2016, is going to be fined up to Lek 500,000.

News Source: ATA