23 Jan 2018 11:41

Rosselkhoznadzor bans import of 14 tonnes of Egyptian salad infected with thrips

KRANSODAR. Jan 23 (Interfax) - Rosselkhoznadzor operatives has seized at shipment of iceberg salad weighing 13.92 tonnes sent from Egypt at the port of Novorossiysk, the Russian agricultural watchdog said.

A quarantined pest was discovered in the shipment; western flower thrips. The presence of the quarantined pest was confirmed by the Krasnodar interregional veterinary laboratory.

The import of the goods into Russia has been banned.

The regulator told Interfax that this is the first shipment of salad from Egypt that has been banned for import in 2018.

The western flower thrip is a threat to 244 plant types and is one of the most dangerous pests for decorative flower crops and can also attack vegetable crops grown in greenhouses.