Latvia’s Saeima has urgently adopted amendments to the law allowing border controls on grain shipments from third countries.
The government must determine the list of such goods and the inspection procedure to be carried out by the Food and Veterinary Service, Delfi reports.
The main aim of the new rules is to stop the transit through Latvian territory and ports of grain that Russia has stolen in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Inspectors will take samples for laboratory testing to verify the true origin of the products if there are suspicions that documents have been falsified. The BIOR scientific institute will be responsible for the analyses, and the costs of the checks may be recovered from those responsible for the cargo.
Latvia had previously already banned imports of Russian and Belarusian agricultural products, but their transit to third countries remained possible. Recently, the relevant ministry recorded an abnormal surge in demand for the transit of grain from Russia. As Ukraine has warned of the risks of transporting stolen harvests disguised as Russian, Latvia’s authorities have decided to fully control these flows.
According to Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, checking a single consignment may take up to a month due to cooperation with foreign institutions. During this time, cargoes will not be held up in ports, but if the theft is confirmed, Latvia will immediately inform buyers of this grain.