Lithuania's Agriculture Ministry announced intensified inspections on vegetable imports, targeting illegal entries from Russia. This action responds to local growers' complaints about Russian cucumbers and tomatoes entering Lithuania through Belarus and Poland with counterfeit documentation.
"We have heard allegations that attempts are being made to import Russian vegetables into Lithuania, allegedly grown in the European Union. We have therefore stepped up checks on the information provided to consumers on fresh fruit and vegetables' country of origin. We are carrying out laboratory tests to check the safety of these products," stated Audronė Mikalauskienė, leading the State Food and Veterinary Service.
The ministry is conducting laboratory analyses on incoming produce, considering collaboration with an Austrian laboratory for origin verification. Agriculture Vice Minister Vytenis Tomkus highlighted the necessity of EU-wide measures to effectively limit Russian imports, pointing out the challenge of monitoring goods once they enter the EU single market. In March, Lithuania, alongside Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and the Czech Republic, urged the European Commission to restrict food imports from Russia and Belarus.
Source: lrt.lt