MOSCOW, June 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's consumer rights regulator Rospotrebnadzor has banned the imports of almost 500 dairy products from Belarus after producers failed to comply with new legislation, the regulator head said Saturday.
"We note with regret that despite the expressed alarm over Belarusian dairy producers not hurrying to comply with Russian legislation and apply for documentary permission in line with technical regulations, a proper response has not followed," Gennady Onishchenko said.
The new regulations entered force December 2008.
Russia's chief sanitary doctor said the banned dairy products were not accompanied by the correct documentation. "These circumstances force us to react adequately. Today I signed a relevant letter to the Federal Customs Service, which means that entry for these products to the entire Russian territory has been stopped," he said.
In late April Onishchenko said Belarus was failing to comply with Russian regulations regarding diary products, which could lead to import restrictions being imposed.
Earlier it was reported that Russian authorities were unhappy with Belarus over the country's policy of granting significant subsidies for the agricultural sector; Minsk accused Russia of putting up trade obstacles to the Russian market.
The two countries' agriculture ministers on Friday agreed to cut dry milk deliveries to Russia from 110,000 tons to 70,000 tons, and to increase Belarusian cheese and cottage cheese from 100,000 tons to 132,000 tons in 2009.
