RUSSIA: Products certified in Bulgaria, banned in Russia over 'fake papers' | Progresiv

Russia's food safety agency has imposed a ban on imports of all products with phytosanitary certificates issued in Bulgaria. In a message published on its website, Rosselhoznadzor says the temporary ban on quarantined products is in relation to what it calls "fake certificates".

The agricultural produce watchdog adds it has already sent a letter to its Bulgarian counterpart explaining the measure is being introduced retroactively - as of September 1, 2015 (the message itself appeared on September 3, 2015). This follows a move by Russia to ban re-exports of crop products from the country this spring over suspicions of counterfeit certificates.

Rosselhoznadzor then warned it was unable to establish whether the products were indeed coming from China, Brazil and Morocco via Bulgaria, or constituted a violation of the restrictions on EU foods put in place last year. What Moscow suggested was that apples allegedly coming from those countries were actually produced in the EU. Now, the same prohibition enters into force with regard to all kinds of products with Bulgarian phytosanitary certificates.

Currently Russia's nationwide list of quarantined products includes vegetable products, packaging, soil or other organisms, objects or materials "that may be carriers of pests or contribute to the spread of pests."

In August of last year, Russia announced it was banning all food products made in the EU and several other Western countries, in a move widely considered to be a response to the sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. (www.novinite.com)