Raw milk monitoring program in Moldova

SAFOSO experts Manon Schuppers and Marco De Nardi travelled to Moldova from 23-26 September 2019 to finalize discussions with national stakeholders about the design of a national raw milk monitoring program. During an earlier workshop in July 2019, representatives from the national authorities and associations for the dairy producers and dairy processors had expressed their interest in such a program, which would contribute significantly to improving national raw milk safety and quality and strengthen Moldova's export potential for dairy products. Following a careful evaluation of several scenarios, the participants of the discussions identified the most preferred implementation scenario during the recent visit. The SAFOSO experts also held discussions with the Minister of Agriculture and the Acting Director of the National Food Safety Agency to discuss which next steps would be required before implementation of this national raw milk monitoring program can start. These activities were supported financially by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group. A national TV program reported on the visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f60GYAc4TeU