Russia bars food imports from the EU, US

REACTING to sanctions over Ukraine, Russia has announced it will impose a “full embargo” on food imports from the EU, US and other Western countries.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced the ban on August 7. According to Russia Beyond the Headlines, the one-year moratorium will affect meat, including all forms of beef and pork, poultry and its subproducts. The embargo will also cover smoked foods, sausages, fish, vegetables, roots, fruits and nuts. Milk and all dairy products, including cheese, will also be affected.

Besides the EU and US, the ban covers products from Canada, Norway and Australia. Food imports from Japan are not included even though the country introduced sanctions against Russia.

The food embargo is expected to impact EU countries the most as they are the biggest importers of food products to Russia. Loss estimates amount to 12 billion euros.

According to the Institute for Complex Strategic Studies (ICSS), Russia buys 70% of all its fruits and berries and almost 50% of its dry milk and cheese overseas. Amongst EU countries, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, which mainly export butter, cheese and curd, have the strongest ties with Russia. Forty-one percent of Finland's butter exports and 47 percent of its frozen fish exports go to Russia.

The sanctions come as tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine continue to heighten. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Ukraine's freedom and future were "under attack," promising support against Russian “aggression”.