Sergey Dankvert, head of the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), has stated that the restrictions imposed on a range of food products imported from Armenia are strictly related to technical violations.
According to Operative Information Center-OMM, Dankvert emphasized in an interview with "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" that these measures carry no political motivation.
Dankvert explained that the agency's decision is based on years of laboratory research, supply chain data, and documented violations. Officials pointed out that the primary issue lies in weak quality control by manufacturers, specifically noting a lack of internal control mechanisms between production and loading stages.
For instance, transporting thousands of bunches of greens in a single batch within one vehicle complicates the inspection of individual product units by regulatory authorities, making it impossible to ensure phytosanitary safety standards.
It should be noted that more than 90% of Armenia's agricultural product exports are destined for the Russian market. Currently, joint inspections are ongoing with Armenia's Food Safety Inspection Body, and restrictions have already been lifted for several enterprises.
The agricultural sector remains a critical component of Armenia's economy, with Russia serving as its primary trading partner. The ongoing regulatory dialogue highlights the complexities of maintaining phytosanitary compliance in cross-border trade within the Eurasian Economic Union framework.
