Russia’s agricultural watchdog seeks ban on Dutch flowers

© RIA Novosti, Ekaterina Chesnokova

13:37 21/07/2015

MOSCOW, July 21 (RAPSI) - Russia's agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor proposes to ban the import of flowers from the Netherlands after discovering a pest in shipments, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday, citing spokesperson for the watchdog, Yulia Melano.

Currently, the federal regulatory service is discussing the legal implications of this ban, and analyzing the consequences while considering the direct import of flowers from other countries, Melano added.

“If imposed, the ban could affect not only this country but also our other partners that deliver flowers to Russia via the Netherlands,” the press secretary said, noting that transited deliveries could be also shut down.

Rosselkhoznadzor has proposed a ban on Dutch flowers due to repeated discoveries of organisms that require quarantine and pose a serious threat to agricultural production and thus to Russia’s economy. The federal service claims it has been monitoring the imports for several months and is currently analyzing the consequences.

It is not clear when flower imports might be prohibited. But regardless of the origin, imported flowers will continue to be inspected.

According to the Federal Customs Service, in 2014 some 79,000 tons of cut flowers and flower buds worth $612.7 million were imported into Russia. The largest suppliers are the Netherlands (30,700 tons worth $225.4 million) and Ecuador (27,500 tons worth $226.1 million).