Concerns over food safety, product traceability and market competition have emerged in Albania over meat imports entering the country through third countries, including Kosovo.
Alban Zusi, executive director of the Albanian Food Industry (AFI), called on authorities to verify the origin, traceability and channels through which meat products transiting Kosovo enter the Albanian market.
Speaking on the Alert program on News24, Zusi said the concern was not necessarily related to the Brazilian origin of a product itself, but to whether its movement through different countries could be properly documented and traced.
“The phenomenon is known: products from countries that are not permitted are introduced into the EU through third countries. We are talking about pork originating in Brazil, passing through a predominantly Muslim country such as Kosovo, and this leaves room for investigation. We could have food-safety concerns,” Zusi said.
He stressed that Brazilian meat should not automatically be considered unsafe, but argued that the use of informal or insufficiently traceable channels would represent a serious concern.
“Not every time can we say that meat from Brazil is unsafe. The concern is that even when the product passes through informal channels, that is a major problem,” he said.
Concerns Over Prices and Competition
Zusi also pointed to what he described as unusual price differences involving meat products entering Albania through Kosovo.
According to him, domestic producers and importers have complained that some products arriving from Kosovo are sold in Albania at prices below what would normally be expected based on import costs.
“Producers complain that very cheap products come from Kosovo, cheaper than normal. Something is happening with these products entering from Kosovo. We are facing economic damage, while consumers are faced with an uncertain situation,” Zusi said.
He questioned how operators in Kosovo could offer lower prices despite additional transportation costs, arguing that the reported differences should be examined by the relevant authorities.
“Here there are anomalies that need to be analyzed by the authorities,” he said.
Zusi further argued that trade agreements should not create unfair advantages for operators supplying products through third countries.
“Free-trade agreements make sense as long as they are fair. When there are anomalies, it is not normal for Kosovo, with limited pig production, to supply Albania,” he said.
Questions Over Import Volumes and Traceability
Another issue raised by Zusi concerns possible discrepancies between quantities declared as imported into one country and the amounts subsequently appearing in another market.
He cited meat products reportedly originating from Thailand as an example, questioning cases in which import figures recorded in different countries do not correspond.
“If 190 tons entered Kosovo and 284 tons ended up in Albania, there is a problem. Where did they come from and what is their origin? And we do not know whether those 190 tons were from Thailand. When the figures do not reconcile, there is a problem that requires attention and tracing,” Zusi said.
He called for authorities to investigate any discrepancies involving the origin, quantities, documentation and prices of imported meat.
“Every channel that cannot be controlled through public oversight should be closed. It is not good. First and foremost, this is about food safety. Illegal transfers cause damage,” he said.
The concerns raised by Zusi have not, in themselves, established that Brazilian meat entering Albania through Kosovo is unsafe or that any specific importer has violated the law. Rather, he called for official checks into the origin, documentation, quantities and routes of meat products moving through third countries.
The broader issue, according to Zusi, is whether the origin and traceability of meat are properly verified at every stage before the products reach Albanian consumers.
