Ukraine complains to WTO about Russian ban on Ukrainian import, transit of vegetable products
KYIV. Oct 24 (Interfax) - Ukraine has complained to the World Trade Organization (WTO) about the ban imposed by Russia's Rosselkhoznadzor on the supply and transit of vegetable products from Ukraine to Russia, the press service for the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry has reported.
The report states the Ukrainian State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service believes that Russia has breached the provisions of the bilateral agreement and the international standards on phytosanitary measures because no official complaints about the non-compliance of products with the phytosanitary requirements have been received from it.
On October 22, Rosselkhoznadzor imposed a temporary restriction on the supply from Ukraine, including the transit through its territory, of all types of vegetable products it regulates.
Rosselkhoznadzor earlier asked Ukraine's State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service to provide by October 21 information on the amounts of vegetable products grown this year and on the areas under specific crops, as well as other convincing guarantees of the Ukrainian origin of the vegetable products supplied by Ukraine to Russia.
According to the Russian service, the request was made due to a sharp increase in the supply of vegetable products from Ukraine and the absence of deliberate deletion of labels from packaging, which Rosselkhoznadzor believes may indicate the supply of embargoed vegetable cargo from the EU to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry said Ukraine will not disclose the information on the amounts of the vegetable products grown this year and the areas designated for specific crops at Rosselkhoznadzor's request. Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Ihor Shvaika said Rosselkhoznadzor's request for such information in a situation of military action is a means to receive information on Ukraine's strategic food reserves.
