MOSCOW, July 28 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s agriculture watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor may limit imports of fruits from European Union countries due to increased cases of contamination with a dangerous pest, a senior official said Monday.
Alexei Alexeyenko, aide to Rosselkhoznadzor head, said shipments of European fruits infested with oriental fruit moth have been on the rise recently.
“Because of it, there is a possibility that supplies to Russia may be limited. Such measures may target supplies from the EU in general, or from EU member states separately. … Eastern European states pose the greatest risk, naturally,” he said.
The official said the decision is likely to be made “in the coming days.”
Russian phytosanitary experts said European suppliers should discuss the situation. “We are conducting the analysis of risks at the expert level,” Alexeyenko said.
Russia limited the imports of planting material, food potato and potato seeds from EU countries, except for Poland, Hungary and Germany, on July 1, 2013 amid phytosanitary violations.
