Russia Formally Suspends Chinese Citrus Imports

According to Reuters, Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) recently announced that it would temporarily ban the import of citrus fruits from China effective Jan. 6, 2020.

Rosselkhoznadzor issued a warning to China on Dec. 13 of last year following the discovery of harmful organisms in imports of several citrus products, stating that Russia would temporarily ban imports of Chinese citrus fruits. However, so far there do not seem to have been any noticeable ameliorative measures implemented by Chinese growers.

In August of last year, Russia suspended imports of many stone fruits from China, including plums, nectarines, apricots, peaches and cherries, as well as apples and pears, as a result of regularly discovering harmful organisms — such as the oriental fruit moth — during inspections.

After implementation of the ban, Russia was invited by China to audit the latter’s agricultural inspection and quarantine control systems. However, according to reports, Russia was not satisfied with the results of the audit.

The announcement issued on the official Rosselkhoznadzor website stated that Russia would temporarily restrict imports of citrus fruits from China until China establishes effective measures to meet Russia’s standards for the safety of imported foods.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.