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Kamchatka customs stops import of sanctioned EU fruits

A total of 30 boxes of cherries, 16 boxes of nectarines and 12 boxes of peaches were brought to the peninsula from Moscow, supplied there from the Belarusian territory

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, July 28. /TASS/. Russia’s Far Eastern customs has seized on Tuesday a cargo of fruit imported into Kamchatka from Spain and Poland bypassing Russia’s food embargo on the EU. A total of 30 boxes of cherries, 16 boxes of nectarines and 12 boxes of peaches were brought to the peninsula from Moscow, supplied there from the Belarusian territory, the press service of the Kamchatka customs reported.

Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) said previously that "fraudulent organizations in the EU member states are engaged in exporting European ‘sanctioned’ products with forged phytosanitary certificates of other countries."

Russia imposed a package of counter sanctions in response to sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Switzerland and Norway over the events in Ukraine. Russia fully banned from August 7, 2014 imports of meat, fish, cheese, milk, vegetables and fruits from Western countries that had imposed economic sanctions against Russian citizens and companies.

Since 8 August 2014 Russia has conducted negotiations with representatives of China, Turkey, Serbia, Egypt, Mauritius, Ecuador, Chili, Columbia, Mexico, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Guatemala, Morocco, Kenya, Argentina, Lebanon, Faroe Islands, Tunisia, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Iceland and Uruguay on opening or expansion of meat, milk, vegetables, fruits, fish and sea food supplies to Russia. The Russian government planned to substitute the shortfall in food due to sanctions and avoid deficit and price growth via a boost in commodity exchange with the countries that did not come under restrictions.