RUSSIA – Russian dairies are showing a growing interest in the possibility of exporting products to EU countries, according to the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies (IKAR) in Moscow.

This autumn Russian and EU food safety inspectors awarded the first EU export certificates to three plants for products including milk drinks, yogurts and ice cream. Another two factories, including one specialising in milk-based baby foods, have also applied for EU export licenses.

The primary targets for these exports appear to be the new EU member countries of the Baltic States, but Germany has also been mentioned as a potential export market by Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods (WBD), Russia’s market leader in the dairy sector and the most ambitious EU exporter.