MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. Russia introduces restrictions for supplies of seeds and planting material from the Netherlands since November 23, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) said.

"Rosselkhoznadzor informs that it bans exports of seed and planting material from the Netherlands to Russia since 2023. Furthermore, restrictions are introduced for supplies of seed material accompanied by documents evidencing varietal and seeding properties and lack of GMOs, issued by Enza-Zaden Operations B.V., until confirmation of competence, methods and results of tests of the said laboratory according to findings of the audit by Rosselkhoznadzor," the regulator said.

Relevant measures were taken due to finding an object quarantinable for Russia and member-states of the Eurasian Economic Union - the bacterial spot of cucurbits, the watchdog informed. The disease affects squashes, pepper, tomatoes, eggplants, and other varieties. Harvest losses can be up to 100% in case of early affection of plants.

Discoveries of quarantinable objects in seeds supplied from the Netherlands to Russia became systemic over the last year, the regulator noted. Such deliveries occur amid lack of answers from the National Plant Protection Organization of the Netherlands to queries of the Russian watchdog during 1.5 years.