During the summer season, when temperatures are high, citizens’ health is closely linked to the food they consume, especially meat products. There have been numerous cases where citizens encounter substandard or expired products, both in shops and in the hospitality sector.
In these hot days, the Food and Veterinary Agency (FVA) says it is focusing on market inspections, particularly of meat products. However, the FVA has not provided statistics on the amount of food products destroyed during the January–May period of this year. According to FVA media officer Lamir Thaçi, products on the market are safe, as they have been inspected and tested at the country’s border checkpoints, as reported KosovaPress.
According to Thaçi, only during 2024, the FVA has conducted 70,950 official inspections, resulting in the destruction of 104,191 kilograms of food products of plant origin, 522,955 kg of products of animal origin, 226,381 kg of meat products, and 40,505 kg of fish products.
In a statement for KosovaPress, Thaçi emphasized that all shipments imported into the Republic of Kosovo are initially subjected to official inspections by FVA inspectors.
“All shipments imported into the Republic of Kosovo are first subjected to official inspection by FVA inspectors. Only when they comply with the law are they cleared through customs and allowed onto the domestic market… Currently, the products available on the market are safe, because at any moment, if there’s any suspicion, they are immediately removed, investigated, and based on final results of that investigation, a decision is made about the product,” Thaçi said.
A month ago, Kosovo decided to temporarily ban chicken meat and other poultry products from Brazil.
The decision was made after Brazil confirmed an outbreak of bird flu at a farm and announced investigations into other suspected cases.
The European Union, the world’s largest poultry exporter and a key supplier to the EU, also banned Brazil from sending poultry products to its member states.
Thaçi noted that this ban remains in force.
“From the very first day it was reported that there was an outbreak of avian influenza in certain regions of Brazil, Kosovo — in alignment with EU member states — decided to temporarily ban all shipments from this country. This measure remains in force, and we are strictly monitoring each shipment from Brazil,” he said.
Just during the January–April period of this year, Kosovo imported chicken meat products from Brazil worth €13.7 million, out of a total of €34.7 million for all chicken meat imports during that time.
According to Kosovo Customs data, in 2024 the country imported chicken meat products worth €91.8 million from international markets — with €30.6 million worth coming solely from Brazil.
Meanwhile, Kosovo citizens appear to be heavy consumers of meat products. Based on official data from Kosovo Customs, it would seem that citizens consume mostly meat.
In 2024 alone, Kosovo imported 52.9 million kilograms of meat of all types from various countries, reports KosovaPress.
According to official Customs data, the total value of meat imports for 2024 was over €117 million.
Meat ranks 12th among the most imported products throughout the year.
Compared to 2023, the volume of meat imports in 2024 has not changed significantly — but its value has. The value of meat imports in 2024 is over €10 million higher than in 2023. This increase appears to be a result of inflation in the countries of origin.
