“Farmers’ Saeima”: the import of products from Belarus and Russia should be banned completely – Agriculture

Association “Zemnieku Saeima” welcomes the amendments adopted by the government to the Law on Agriculture and Rural Development, which partially prohibits the import of agricultural and fodder products from Russia and Belarus for consumption in Latvia. However, this ban is not complete and the problem with all types of agricultural, fodder, and food products of Russian and Belarusian origin is not addressed in general, so the “Zemnieku Saeima” calls for additional amendments to the Law on Agriculture and Rural Development.

Chairman of the board of “Zemnieku saeima” Juris Lazdiņš: “Although the European Union (EU) is currently considering the possibility of raising customs duties on agricultural products from Russia and Belarus, it only partially solves the entry of products from aggressor countries into the EU. The import ban should apply not only to certain agricultural and fodder products originating in Russia or Belarus, but to all types of fodder raw materials, as well as to food products in general. The import of Russian and Belarusian products from other EU countries should also be banned.”

The ban on the import of agricultural products does not currently apply to molasses, sugar beet cuttings, sunflower seeds and other products.

Data from the Ministry of Agriculture show that in the first 10 months of last year, the import of Russian agricultural and fodder products in Latvia amounted to 280 million euros. In general, 90 percent of the total import of Russian agricultural products to Latvia was made up of four product groups: fodder, cereals, peas, rapeseed oil.

Association “Peasants’ Diet”