Corruption risks in the activities of veterinary and sanitary-epidemiological services were discussed by representatives of NCE and Agencies on Civil Service Affairs

On 3^rd of August the Agency for Civil Service and Anti-Corruption of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a meeting on summarizing the analysis of corruption risks and public monitoring in the areas of veterinary and sanitary-epidemiological surveillance. The participants of the event were Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of NCE RK "Atameken" Rustam Zhursunov, Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Civil Service and Anti-Corruption Alik Shpekbayev, representatives of interested state bodies, public associations and business associations.

Opening the meeting, Alik Shpekbayev noted that Kazakhstan has taken unprecedented measures to improve the business environment, ranking 35th in the Doing Business - 2017 international rating. However, according to the results of the polls, a significant number of companies still consider administrative barriers and corruption risks a heavy burden for doing business.

"First of all, this is due to a large number of unenforceable mandatory requirements specified in the regulations and administrative procedures, including veterinary and sanitary-epidemiological surveillance. This is also confirmed by the results of the economic sociological survey conducted by the Institute upon the order of Atameken "Business Climate -2016". As a result of which SES was included in the top three state bodies, in which there is a high frequency of corruption systems", - the Deputy Chairman of the Agency noted.

Rustam Zhursunov during the meeting singled out 5 theses concerning veterinary control. First, imperfection of the legislation. There is a sufficiently large number of discrete norms, which allow civil servants to establish certain procedures based on subjective reflection. Also the blurring by the terms. In particular, the Deputy Chairman of the Board decided to issue a veterinary and phytosanitary certificate. At present, the issuance of a veterinary certificate is established within three working days, phyto-sanitary within five working days.

"The most time-consuming is the state-veterinary inspection of the moved object and assessment of the veterinary health condition of the vehicle within two working days. How much do you need to do this for two days? It is clear that any businessman, especially if it is a subject of the agrarian and industrial complex, has perishable goods, it will naturally solve this question differently. Veterinary laboratories' expertise is also a big problem. Because the veterinary certificate is issued on the basis of product examination certificates, which are actually carried out within 7 days plus 3 days for issuing a certificate. Especially the problem is clearly visible on the example of chilled meat. It is known that the temperature should be from 0 to +4 degrees, and accordingly the meat should be cooled for 12 days. These are very serious entrepreneurial risks. We have to freeze this meat, and the price is absolutely different. These procedures have very negative impact on exports", - Rustam Zhursunov stressed.

Deputy Chairman of the Board of Atameken added that it is worth paying attention to the "narrow gate" around this issue. Why not to shift this type of activity just as import to outsourcing. The policy of our state should stimulate the maximum acceleration of export access. During the event, people noted a shortage of specialized personnel in the veterinary and sanitary sphere. It should be noted that the receipt of veterinary certificates creates huge problems for farmers in the territory of which there are no slaughter sites, since without them it is impossible to sell meat products. For example, in Karkaralinsk region there were 29 slaughter sites, 20 of them were found not suitable for use in 2017, since they do not meet the new requirements adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Order of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan of May 6, 2015 No. 7-1 / 418).

Veterinary certificates are issued as a state service only on working days and only from 9 to 18 hours, and on summer days, in order to preserve the quality of meat products, slaughter is carried out in the evening and / or night, often also on weekends. To do this, entrepreneurs have to negotiate with a veterinarian, so that a vet gives a backdated veterinary certificate. For example, monitoring in the field of sanitary and epidemiological surveillance, conducted by the Regional Chamber of Entrepreneurs of North Kazakhstan region, covered the activities of the Consumer Protection Department, as well as two branches of the National Expertise Center.

In general, over 16,000 inspections of (1557) business entities were carried out by the Department and its units for 16 years, 84% of them covered small business. As a result, 759 prescriptions were issued, 114 of which are in the framework of monitoring the safety of products (through the purchase of goods).

In total in 2016 756 penalties were imposed and collected from subjects of business. The results of the analysis showed the range of problematic issues of the business community in this area.

As a result of the purchase of products in the region, 100 inspections were conducted, as a result of which 44 entrepreneurs were brought to administrative responsibility for more than 10 million KZT for failure to comply with the requirements for the submission of documents for products.

The participants of the meeting noted such corruption risks as:

• contradictions and gaps between normative legal acts regulating SES spheres;
• the absence of specific deadlines for the elimination of violations noted in the instructions on the results of the audit;
• presentation of virtually unenforceable mandatory requirements or administrative procedures;
• the absence in the checklist of a clear distinction according to the characteristics and specificity of the activity of the inspected object (railway, water, air, water supply facilities, etc.).

According to the results of the meeting, 49 recommendations were selected, of which 55% are aimed at eliminating corruption risks in regulatory acts, and 45% in organizational and managerial activities.