After the entry into force of amended legislation initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture, stricter controls on grain entering Lithuania from Russia and other high-risk countries will start on 18 March. New decisions on even stricter controls will be adopted in the near future.

Absolutely all cereals and cereal products imported from high risk countries will be suspended from today and samples will be taken from every wagon or vehicle of the imported products.

The stricter controls on the quality of cereals which came into force today are just one of the steps taken by the Ministry of Agriculture. Decisions on the checking of the origin of cereals shipped through Lithuania will also be taken shortly, once the methodological requirements have been finalised. The origin investigation was initiated by the Ministry following information from the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture on suspicions that Russia was profiting from the transport of grain from the occupied Ukrainian territories to third countries.

„There should be no possibility for Russia to take advantage of Lithuania's infrastructure and profit from the sale of Ukrainian grain. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture, in response to the information received about possible Russian grain sales through Baltic Sea ports from the occupied territories, has urgently taken measures to tighten the control of grain imports from Russia and other high-risk countries," said Kęstutis Navickas, Minister of Agriculture.

The list of high-risk countries includes Russia, Belarus, Transnistria, which is not under the control of the Moldovan government, Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia, and other occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali in Sakhartveli.