Russia's plant and animal health watchdog might ban imports of plant products from all nurseries in the European Union except a number of nurseries in Poland and Hungary that have already been inspected and approved, Interfax reported.
"[The European Commission] is trying to convince Russia that as a country that has joined the WTO, it is obligated to accept planting material from EU countries without requiring phytosanitary guarantees of its safety," the Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight Service said.
A recent joint study of 64 nurseries in Poland and Hungary showed that 14 percent of them that had previously been considered safe turned out to be breeding grounds for quarantined materials such as plum pox and the agent for bacterial gummosis, the watchdog said.
Imports of planting material from these nurseries have been stopped, but the others have maintained their status as exporters to Russia.
(MT)
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
