Russia bans imports of feed beet seeds from German company as of March 3

MOSCOW. March 2 (Interfax) - Russia's plant and animal health watchdog is banning imports of feed beet seeds from German company Feldsaaten Freudenberger GmbH & Co KG effective March 3.

Beet necrotic yellow vein benyvirus, which is subject to quarantine in Russia and other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries, was discovered in the course of phytosanitary quarantine control of this product, which arrived accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from Germany's national monitoring body, Rosselkhoznadzor said.

"In order to preserve phytosanitary safety and prevent the spread of the quarantinable object in Russia, the service believes it is necessary to prohibit imports of feed beet seed material from this Germany company," the watchdog said in a press release.

Beet necrotic yellow vein benyvirus reduces the mass of beets by 50-70% and sugar content by more than 2-4%. It accumulates and can live in the soil for many years, and sugar beet cannot be grown in seriously infected soils.