Lithuania will detain Russian and Belarusian grain in the port of Klaipeda until the inspections are completed. This was announced by the representative of the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture Justas Jaskonis.
According to him, the legal acts necessary to tighten control over food grains from Russia and Belarus have been signed since November 16.
"Each batch of food grain from Russia and Belarus will be checked documented and physically. The control will cover wheat, barley, corn and sunflower seeds during their transshipment or storage in Lithuania. Samples will be taken from each batch for laboratory studies in order to establish the true origin of the grain," he said.
At the same time, he noted, "the checks may take two months or more," since there is no laboratory in Lithuania capable of carrying out the necessary tests. Yaskonis also added that if the declared origin of the grain turns out to be false, the cargo will have to be returned or destroyed. All expenses related to storage, inspection, return or destruction of grain will be borne by exporters.
Starting from July 1, 2024, the European Union introduced increased duties on cereals, oilseeds and their processed products from Belarus and Russia. The settings are set at a level designed to actually stop the import. At the same time, transit through EU to third countries are not affected by these measures.