YEREVAN (OC-Media) — A Russian regulator has banned the import of Armenian-produced dairy products, deeming them unsafe for Russian consumers. The decision came shortly after Russia criticized Armenia’s greenlighting ratification of the International Criminal Court (ICC) treaty.
On Friday, March 31, Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Rosselkhoznadzor, reported that they had requested Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate suspend the supply of Armenia-produced dairy products to Russia starting April 5.
In the same statement, Russia’s agriculture safety watchdog said that “Armenia could not guarantee the safety of its [dairy] products for Russian consumers.”
“The possibility of resuming imports will be discussed after all violations by Armenia are eliminated,” the statement said.
In a statement published on March 28, Rosselkhoznadzor claimed that they had the previous week inspected two Armenian dairy producers, and confirmed that “Armenian producers used raw materials from Iranian enterprises that do not have the right to supply to Russia.”
Rosselkhoznadzor also noted the week before, due to a “lack of proper control” by Armenia’s food inspection service, there was a “risk of low-quality and unsafe products” being imported to Russia, and that they had asked Armenia to “suspend certification” for those two producers.