Russian regulator suggests that EU countries halt certification of flowers from Netherlands
MOSCOW. July 27 (Interfax) - Russian agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor has suggested that the national organizations for plant quarantine and protection in the EU countries halt the phytosanitary certification of cut flowers grown in Netherlands and destined for export to Russia, the agency said in a statement.
The measure is aimed "at avoiding introduction of temporary restrictions on importation of cut flowers from European Union countries," the statement said.
Rosselkhoznadzor also considers it necessary to hold urgent technical consultations with the competent structures in the European Union concerning this issue and suggests that before those consultations are held, the phytosanitary services of the EU countries halt the certification of cut flowers grown in the Netherlands.
Those flowers are currently certified by the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary and Poland. "Each shipment of product is accompanied by phytosanitary certificates of those countries, attesting to full compliance with the product standards and requirements of Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)," Rosselkhoznadzor said.
However, in practice, those standards and requirements are not being met, it said.
In just the last three months, in carrying out phytosanitary monitoring of cut flowers arriving in Russia from EU countries, 324 lots have been found to contain quarantined items: western (California) flower thrips, chrysanthemum white rust, silverleaf whitefly and American serpentine leafminer. There have been 183 such instances in the case of cut flowers from the Netherlands or 58% of the entire number of cut flowers arriving from all EU countries.
Rosselkhoznadzor chief Sergei Dankvert told Interfax previously that Russia may ban imports of flowers from a number of European countries that certify flowers from the Netherlands.