Russian watchdog may ban imports of all Turkish plant products

MOSCOW, Feb 18 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight may ban imports of all plant products that must comply with phytosanitary requirements from Turkey if it finds more undesired organisms in supplies, the service said in a statement Thursday.

From January 1, Russia banned imports of some fruit and vegetables from Turkey as part of retaliatory measures after Ankara downed Su-24 bomber in November 2015. In January, the service uncovered 12 batches of pepper and cabbage from Turkey that contained Californian thrips and one batch of pomegranates that contained Mediterranean fruit fly.

“If contaminated quarantineable production continues to come to the territory of Russia from Turkey and the Turkish side does not take necessary measures to comply with the Russian regulation in quarantine of plants, the service will have to temporarily prohibit imports of quarantineable products from Turkey to Russia,” the service said.

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