While tax reforms are being discussed in the country, an unexpected calm is observed at the external borders of Kyrgyzstan. According to a report from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic, only 112 violations were recorded at the veterinary border control points throughout 2025.
All of these shipments were deemed dangerous or improperly documented and were sent back. The neighboring countries were the most active violators:
Uzbekistan - 51 returns; Kazakhstan - 48 returns; Russia - 8 returns; China - 3 returns; Turkey and Pakistan - 1 case each.
Inspectors cite "document discrepancies" and "safety requirement violations" as the main reasons for the returns. Nevertheless, the figure of 112 cases for the entire year raises doubts among specialists: does this indicate high quality of imported products or insufficient strictness of border control? Global practices show that increased control often leads to a rise in the detection of violations.
Successful experiences of other countries
The effectiveness of control services in international practice is determined not by the number of incidents, but by the ability to identify and prevent hidden threats.
As reported by The New York Times, the United States records numerous violations in food imports every year. Strict control is considered a guarantee of public health: the more suspicious batches of meat or fish are blocked at the control stage, the fewer cases of illness occur in the country. High rates of detected violations are perceived as a success of the security system.
The General Administration of Customs of China regularly publishes lists of companies whose products are banned from import due to minor non-compliance with standards. The mass detection of violations, such as the presence of heavy metals in fish or bacteria in milk, in China indicates the strength of the national "veterinary shield".
Against this backdrop, the 112 returns in Kyrgyzstan over the year appear more like a "trial balloon" than a serious cleansing of the market from low-quality goods. In comparison, in neighboring countries, the number of blocked batches is counted in the thousands each year. Thus, the veterinary border control of the Kyrgyz Republic should intensify its activities to ensure that the reporting data more accurately reflects the real situation regarding the safety of imported products.
