Russia 'still undecided' on food import ban
Russia has not yet approved a list of food products that it will stop importing from the US and the EU
Russia’s food safety watchdog said that its spokesman’s declaration that Russia is set to ban its food imports from the United States and the European Union for a year only reflected his personal views.
The watchdog, the Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) said that it is “impossible to comment” on Putin’s ordered ban until the Russian government formally approves a targeted list of products to be banned.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti had quoted spokesman Alexei Alekseenko as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a ban on all European fruit and vegetables and all produce from the United States. This was reportedly as retaliation for the sanctions those countries had recently imposed on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.
Alekseenko told Reuters that bans on EU and U.S goods would be “quite substantial” and would specifically include U.S. poultry.
“[Alexseenko’s] comments should be regarded as a personal opinion of this expert and the scientist, and not as an official statement of the servide,” the VPSS said.
The full list of banned products is expected to be published on Thursday and, according to Russian newspaper Kommersant, will include fruit, vegetables and some meat imports.
The list will also include dairy products but will exclude wine and baby food, the Vedemosti newspaper said, citing government sources.
Russia is Europe’s second largest market for food and drink. Exports of food and raw materials to Russia were worth €12.2 billion in 2013.
The sanctions Russia are reportedly responding to have cut Russian state banks off from Europe’s capital markets. They also prohibit Russian imports of oil industry and defence technology and target major Russian figures including billionaire tycoon Arkady Rotenberg.
