Latvian govt approves list of Russian, Belarusian goods prohibited for import

RIGA. March 5 (Interfax) - The government of Latvia on Tuesday approved the list of agricultural products and feed commodities from Russia and Belarus subject to a previously introduced ban of such imports.

According to the Latvian Agriculture Ministry, the ban applies to potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, garden salad, carrots, turnip and rutabaga, beetroot, salsify, celery, radish, cucumbers and gherkins, legumes, and fresh vegetables.

Wheat, meslin, rye, barley, oats, rice, sorghum, and buckwheat cannot be imported from Russia and Belarus to Latvia.

Imports of meats and meat and meat by-product pellets, fish or crustaceans, mollusks or other water invertebrates, bran, residue from the production of starch and similar residue, sugar cane feed and other waste products of sugar production, the residue of fermented drink production, oil compound feed from soybeans, peanut butter, cotton seed, rapeseed, coconuts or palm nuts are now banned.

Additionally, grape sediment, vegetable-origin materials and vegetable waste, residues, by-products and products used in animal feed from Russia and Belarus cannot be imported to Latvia.

At the same time, compared to the initial list of goods the import of which was banned, published by the Agriculture Ministry on the website for legal acts last week, the updated one lacks the section envisaging the ban on imports of seeds and the fruit of oleaginous plants, plants for industrial use, thatch, and coarse food.

As reported, on February 22, 2024, the Latvian Saeima approved amendments to the law on agriculture and rural development at its final reading. They prohibit imports of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus. According to amendments developed by several ministries, imports of Russian and Belarusian agricultural and feed products into Latvia are also prohibited from third countries. The ban will be in effect through July 1, 2025, but can be extended if necessary.