Tolušić on Easter Eggs: All Findings are Good, No Salmonella

The Ministry of Agriculture reported on Wednesday that the results of the egg control on the market showed that their health safety is unquestionable – in none of the 3,200 sampled eggs was the presence of the Salmonella spp bacteria detected, and the supervision also showed that the vast majority of eggs on the market are of domestic production.

The Ministry of Agriculture conducted an inspection last week of food business operators who have an approved activity of egg packing centers, as well as food storage facilities under controlled temperature conditions (distribution centers), it was announced by the Ministry.

In addition, they added, the inspection sampled eggs to determine health safety and compliance with food regulations.

The vast majority of eggs on the market are of domestic production

Sampling was conducted in a total of 65 facilities under the supervision of veterinary inspection, including 29 approved egg packing centers and 36 approved egg storage facilities (distribution centers).

– A total of 3,200 eggs were sampled and none showed the presence of Salmonella spp bacteria, the Ministry emphasizes.

Identified minor deficiencies

They emphasize that the inspection supervision also showed that the vast majority of eggs on the market are of domestic production, as only three food business operators were found to have stored eggs originating from EU member states (Poland and the Netherlands), all with satisfactory bacteriological findings.

The inspection also identified minor deficiencies related to infrastructure, equipment, or documentation for which the food business operators were prescribed solutions and deadlines for their removal, the Ministry states, adding that this does not affect the hygiene and health safety of the eggs that these operators place on the market.

Tolušić satisfied that the majority of eggs on the market are of domestic production

Minister of Agriculture Tomislav Tolušić expressed satisfaction on Wednesday in Novi Marof that the analysis of the egg market showed that all findings are good and that the majority of eggs are of domestic production.

– I am satisfied with the control results, which show that food business operators adhere to rigorous rules and that all we do in the Ministry, from controls to the promotion of Croatian food, is effective. Our self-sufficiency in egg production is now around 90 percent, and our consumers will be buying domestic eggs, of controlled origin and health safety, for Easter, emphasizes Minister of Agriculture Tomislav Tolušić in a statement.

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The Minister is also pleased with the fact that “inspectors are no longer perceived as a repressive apparatus but as welcome faces.”

– All findings are good, there is no salmonella. I am glad that the majority of eggs are Croatian, only in two facilities from Poland and the Netherlands, which is not disputed. I am pleased that 95 percent of the eggs we inspected are of Croatian production. It is clear that Croatian consumers recognize the quality offered by our poultry farmers, said Tolušić, who presented the basic results of last week’s inspection of 65 egg producer facilities and retail chains and their warehouses during a working lunch with farmers as part of the campaign ‘Our Domestic, Now and in the Future’.

– Those who work well have nothing to fear from inspections, Minister Tolušić stated in his remarks.

Workshops on new rural development financing measures

As part of the campaign ‘Our Domestic, Now and in the Future’, a workshop on new rural development financing measures was held, the Law on Agricultural Land was presented, as well as products with quality labels from the Croatian Agricultural Agency: meat, milk, and eggs from Croatian farms, honey from Croatian beekeepers, and flour and bread from Croatian fields, as well as Croatian indigenous products protected in the EU.

Director of the Croatian Agricultural Agency Zdravko Barač emphasized that the agency’s label confirms the traceability and quality of products, noting that during the past year, thanks to the campaign ‘Breakfast from Croatian Farms’, the number of users and products carrying the label increased by 30 percent, as well as the overall volume of labeled production.

Minister Tolušić emphasized that problems in Croatian agriculture cannot be solved overnight, but with quality laws and investments through the Rural Development Program, optimism can be restored in Croatian villages.

He also stated that the funds from the Rural Development Program competitions can be used not only for building farms, greenhouses, and mechanization but also for infrastructure in rural areas. This, he adds, allows the population to remain in rural areas and provides opportunities for marketing their products and raising awareness that Croatian is the best.

– Do you trust more a producer who is two kilometers away and you can see that hen and that egg which travels from the poultry farm to the school or store 100 meters or a kilometer away, or something that travels 2000 kilometers and comes to Croatia? The answer is very clear to everyone who wants to think the right way, Tolušić stated.

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Varaždin County Prefect Radimir Čačić emphasized measures to assist farmers, ensuring agricultural production, financing sowing, and supplying public institutions – kindergartens, schools, and hospitals – with domestic food from this and neighboring counties.

Mayor of Novi Marof Siniša Jenkač emphasized that the future of agricultural development in that area lies in specialized production of branded products, those that have added value and are easier to market and sell.

At the meeting of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and local units and farmers, products from the wider Novi Marof area and other parts of Varaždin County that carry quality labels, as well as indigenous protected products such as Varaždin cabbage or Zagorje turkey, were presented.