No dairy from Ukraine for Russia
Russia has banned the import of Ukrainian dairy products, according to Russian news agencies, due to a fallout in trade relations as Kiev ties itself closer to the EU.
“We held a meeting on milk and milk products and decided from 18 July 28 to limit the import of such items,” Alexei Alexeyenko, an advisor to the head of Russia’s food and agricultural inspection service Rosselkhoznadzor, was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. The ban was imposed due to the detection of tetracycline group antibiotics, Interfax cited a Rosselkhoznadzor source as saying.
Alexeyenko says there was no response from Ukrainian food safety authorities to recent requests to investigate incidents of high levels of antibiotics and bacteria in dairy products.
Russia has recently put pressure on the Ukraine not to ratify a trade pact with the European Union, with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warning that Moscow may be “forced to take protective measures” if Ukraine abandons the customs union that links several ex-Soviet states.
