RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/SPEC/RUS/6
21July1997
ORGANIZATION(97-3065)
Working Party ontheAccession Original: English
oftheRussian Federation
ACCESSION OFTHE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
General Description oftheSanitary andPhytosanitary Regime
ThePermanent Mission oftheRussian Federation hassubmitted thefollowing information
regarding sanitary andphytosanitary measures inRussia, withtherequest thatitbecirculated tothe
Members oftheWorking Party.
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1. Hygienic Certification ofImported Food, Certain Types ofIndustrial Products andHousehold
Items
Responsible agency: Department ofSanitary andEpidemic Surveillance oftheRussian
Ministry ofHealth ("Gossanepidnadzor").
Address: Vadkovsky, 18/20 Moscow, 101479, Russia.
Products imported intoRussia must meet thesafety requirements ineffect intheRussian
Federation unless thecontrary isprovided byanintergovernmental agreement.
Inparticular, therequirements forsafety, nutrition value andlabelling offoodproducts are
contained intheRegulation 5061-89, "OnMedical andBiological Requirements forQuality ofFood
andFood Components" dated 1August 1989, oftheMinistry ofHealth. In1996-1997, thisRegulation
wassubstantially revised, taking intoaccount, inparticular, theprovisions existing within theframework
oftherelevant international organisations, i.e.FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. This
revised version ofthisnormative document hasbeenprepared andnowitisunder consideration by
theRussian Gossanepidnadzor.
Thehygienic requirements forthesafety ofdifferent products arealsopresented inasetof
sanitary rules andhygienic standards suchas"Hygienic Requirements forVideo Display Units",
"Personal Computers andOrganization ofWork", "Hygienic Requirements forHand Tools and
Organizations ofWork", "Sanitary Regulations forPractice andDistribution ofFishery Products",
"Sanitary Norms ofPermissible Levels forPhysical Factors During UseofDomestic Articles "and
etc.
Imports intoandcirculation within Russian territory offoodproducts, materials incontact
withfood, materials andequipment forwater supply, perfumes, cosmetics, products forchildren, etc.
require theissuance ofahygienic certificate which isapermit oragreement oftheMinistry ofHealth
confirming thatacertain product issafeforhuman health.WT/ACC/SPEC/RUS/6
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Theprocedure ofhygienic certification isestablished bytheRegulation oftheRussian
Gossanepidnadzor No.1"OnTheProcedure OfIssuing Hygienic Certificates ForProducts" dated
5January 1993.
ThisRegulation hasbeenprepared onthebasisofthefollowing Laws oftheRussian Federation:
Law"OnSanitaryAndEpidemiologicalWellBeingOfThePopulation"dated19April1991;Law2-FZ
"OnTheProtection OfConsumer ’sRights" dated 9January 1996; Fundamentals oftheLegislation
oftheRussian Federation No.5487-1 "OnHealth Protection" dated 22July1993; LawNo.5151-1
"OnCertification OfProducts AndServices" dated 10June1993; and,LawNo.2060-1 "OnProtection
oftheNatural Environment" dated 19December 1991.
Thehygienic certificate isissued bytheFederal andregional centres ofGossanepidnadzor for
aspecific product foraperiod ofonetofiveyears andisvalidthroughout theterritory oftheRussian
Federation.
Thelabelling requirements forfoodproducts aresubject toLaw2-FZ "OnTheProtection Of
Consumer ’sRights" dated 9January 1996, andGovernment Regulation No.1575"OnTheProcedure
ForEnsuring ThatProducts Imported IntoTheRussian Federation Contain Labels InTheRussian
Language" dated 27December 1996.
2. Veterinary Control ofImportation ofLiveAnimals intotheTerritory ofRussia andofImported
Products ofAnimal Origin.
Responsible agency: Department ofVeterinary Control, Ministry ofAgriculture andFood.
Address: Orlikov per., d.1/11 Moscow, 107139, Russia.
Theimportation andsaleofliveanimals, rawmaterials andproducts ofanimal origin inthe
territory oftheRussian Federation isdoneonthebasisofanimport permit delivered bytheDepartment
ofVeterinary Control oftheMinistry ofAgriculture andFood. Inaddition, ahygienic certificate is
required forimportation andsaleofedible products ofanimal origin. Thisisestablished bytheLaw
oftheRussian Federation "OnVeterinary Control" dated 14May1993.
Products ofanimal origin andliveanimals must beaccompanied byaveterinary certificate
oftheexporting country, cleared bytheDepartment ofVeterinary Control. Thecertificate includes
alistofdiseases,microorganismsandpoisonoussubstanceswhichmustnotbecontainedinfoodproducts
oranimals.
Theelaboration andapproval ofsuchcertificates, asarule,isthesubject ofbilateral negotiations
between theveterinary services ofRussia andtheexporting country. Recommendations ofthe
International Office ofEpizootics andthe"Medical andBiological Requirements forQuality ofRaw
Materials andFood inRussia" aretaken intoaccount.
Insomecases,uponagreementwiththeexportingcountry,theDepartmentofVeterinaryControl
sends itsexperts tothecountry inquestion toperform checks ontheexisting veterinary, sanitary and
hygienic conditions forproduction ofedible products ofanimal origin, aswellastheinspection and
storage systems inuse.
Products imported onthebasis ofanagreed certificate andpermit oftheDepartment of
Veterinary Control aresubject toinspection bytheveterinary service attheborder. Incaseofany
discrepancies withstandards, thorough laboratory analyses areperformed. After thegoods havecrossed
theborder, theveterinary certificate isreplaced withaveterinary permit validintheRussian Federation.WT/ACC/SPEC/RUS/6
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Incaseofnon-compliance withveterinary requirements, thecargo mayeither bedisinfected ordenied
entry intoRussia.
3. Control oftheImport ofPlant Products andOther Quarantine Materials
Responsible agency: StatePlant Quarantine Inspection oftheRussian Federation (auspices
oftheRussian Ministry ofAgriculture andFood).
Address: Orlikov per., 3A.,Moscow, 107139, Russia.
Imports andexports ofplant products andother quarantine materials aresubject to"Rules
forSafety ontheTerritory oftheRussian Federation fromQuarantine Pests" dated 19February 1996,
approved bytheRussian Ministry ofAgriculture andFood. These ruleshavebeenpublished inEnglish
bytheSecretariat oftheEuropean andMediterranean Organisation onPlant Protection (EPPO), of
which theRussian Federation isamember.
Inaccordance withtheEPPO recommendations, Russia adopted a"List ofquarantine objects
oftheRussianFederation"(6October1992).TheListincludesthreecategories:CategoryA1-organisms
notexisting within territory ofRussia; Category A2-organisms existing onalimited scope within
theterritory ofRussia; Category A3-organisms whose quarantine status isunder examination. The
Listissubject toreviews every fivetosixyears.
Russian importers ofplantproducts subject toquarantine areprovided withanimport quarantine
permit which maydefine theterms ofimportation fortheproduct. Theshipment isinspected atthe
border andprovided itisaccompanied byanimport permit, andaphytosanitary certificate ofthe
exporting country, theshipment inquestion iscleared forcirculation within thecustoms territory of
Russia. Intheevent ofnon-compliance withthequarantine requirements, theshipment mayeither be
disinfected ornotpermitted entry intoRussia.
Atpresent, theStateofPlant Quarantine Inspection oftheRussian Federation isintheprocess
ofdeveloping scientific grounds foradaptation ofinternational agreements oftheWTO, FAO/WHO
andEPPO tospecific Russian conditions.
Allrelevant Russian legislation concerning sanitary andphytosanitary standards isavailable
forconsultation intheWTO Secretariat andhasbeenlisted inthefollowing documents: L/7410.Add.1,
WT/ACC/RUS/2/Add.1 and Add.3, WT/ACC/RUS/15, WT/ACC/RUS/15/Add.1 and
WT/ACC/SPEC/RUS/6