SLOVAKIA – NEWS
The Slovak authorities have banned the processing and sale of accumulated Ukrainian grain and flour made from it in the country. The decision was taken due to a pesticide detected in the samples, which has a negative impact on human health and is therefore banned on the territory of the European Union. This was announced on Thursday evening, 13 April, by the Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development of Slovakia.
The ministry says it has analysed 1,500 tonnes of wheat from Ukraine and will promptly inform EU member states about the presence of pesticides.
The ministry also does not recommend importing new Ukrainian grain and grain products for the time being. The duration of the ban is not specified.
Slovakia earlier asked the EU to restrict grain imports from Ukraine
In March, the prime ministers of Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary asked official Brussels to limit the amount of Ukrainian food entering the EU: grain, oilseeds, eggs, poultry and sugar.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, traditional export routes were blocked, so a number of EU countries offered assistance in the transit of Ukrainian grain to third country markets, and the European Commission lifted customs duties and quotas to facilitate transport. At the same time, due to logistical problems grain has been accumulating, flooding markets and driving down local prices.
To “stop destabilising markets”, the five premiers have asked Brussels to find a solution to ensure that Ukrainian grain does not remain in the EU or to reinstate tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian food products.
In January, the situation faced by European farmers was already discussed in Brussels, and as a result the European Commission said it was not considering the option of returning duties on Ukrainian agricultural products.
Source: Deutsche Welle
