RUSSIA – Cheese import duties could rise in order to protect Russian producers from European imports, according to newspaper Vedomosti.

The government is considering increasing the current 15% import duty to 25% in order to protect against subsidisation that the European Union offers to its cheese producers, which could lead to a flood of cheaper imports.

The issue is coming to a head as the EU is set to increase from 15 to 25 Members over the coming months, with most of them being eastern European countries.

Russia is also considering introducing higher duties on other dairy products in the longer term, according to the paper.