Russia's ban on EU vegetables to remain in place

Russia's ban on EU vegetables to remain in place

2011-06-03 22:55:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW (BNO NEWS) -- Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday said that the ban imposed on vegetables imported from the European Union will remain in place, RIA Novosti reported.

"We will not poison our people by lifting the ban imposed on vegetable imports from the European Union," said Putin.

On Thursday, Russia banned the import of fresh vegetables for the 27 EU Member States due to the outbreak of the Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia Coli (EHEC) bacteria that has caused the death of 18 people so far in Germany.

The European Commission considered the measure imposed by Russia's sanitary watchdog Rospotrebnadzor as disproportionate and requested its immediate withdrawal.

Fernando Valenzuela, the EU's envoy in Moscow, said the ban was unjustified and contradicted the rules of World Trade Organization (WTO). The Russian government said it will give the Commission an explanation for its measure as the "precedent is very serious."

"The representatives of the European Commission are saying that this decision contradicts the WTO spirit," added Putin. "Frankly, I don’t know what spirit it contradicts but cucumbers which kill people it is really bad."

Valenzuela also said that the restrictive measure could undermine Russia's bid to join the WTO next year. He added that the action also affected an important part of Russia-EU trade as Moscow's vegetable imports from the EU amount to 600 million Euros ($869 million).

At least 1,614 people have been infected mostly in Germany but also in the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and other European countries due to the outbreak of the new, never before seen strain of E. coli.

Initially, it was suspected that Spanish cucumbers carried the bacteria but this theory was ruled out by the EU on Wednesday. The Commission then removed its own alert notification on Spanish cucumbers from the Rapid Alert System on Food and Feed (RASFF).

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