Latvia Will Verify Origin of Grain Shipments from Third Countries to Detect Stolen Ukrainian Grain

In the event of confirmation of theft, Latvia will immediately inform the buyers of this grain.

The Latvian parliament urgently adopted amendments to the law that allow border control of grain cargo from third countries.

The government must define the list of such goods and the order of inspections to be carried out by the Food and Veterinary Service, writes Delfi.

The main goal of the new rules is to stop transit through Latvian territory and ports of grain that Russia stole in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Inspectors will take samples for laboratory testing to verify the true origin of the product if suspicions about document falsification arise. Scientific Institute BIOR will be responsible for analyses, and the costs of inspections may be charged to those responsible for the cargo.

Earlier Latvia already banned the import of Russian and Belarusian agricultural products, but their transit to third countries remained possible. Recently, the relevant ministry recorded an anomalous spike in demand for grain transit from the Russian Federation. Since Ukraine warned about the risks of transporting stolen harvest under the guise of Russian grain, Latvian authorities decided to fully control these flows.

According to Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, testing a single batch can take up to a month due to cooperation with foreign institutions. In the meantime, the cargoes will not be detained in ports, but if theft is confirmed Latvia will immediately inform the buyers of this grain.