EU in plea to Russia on grain imports

THE EU has offered to negotiate larger grain import quotas to Russia, after Moscow threatened to limit meat imports.

“We are in principle ready to talk with the Russian Federation about a larger import quota for grain,” EU Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler said last week.

The EU imposed grain import quotas and duties on January 1, following a year of cheap grain imports flooding in from Russia and the Ukraine.

At the Green Week food trade fair in Berlin, Fischler said, “We must go into negotiations. We have not had any so far, only informal contacts. This is why I am now making an appeal to the Russian Federation, please come to the negotiating table.”

Russia has given no start date for import restrictions it announced on poultry, pork and beef, which could seriously damage exports from the EU and other trading partners.