Lithuania’s agriculture minister has ordered checks on the origin of all grain transported from Russia and Belarus through the country to prevent the possible transit of grain stolen from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the Agriculture Ministry said.
Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Mažeika formally asked the State Food and Veterinary Service to immediately investigate the origin of all grain transported in transit from Russia and Belarus, including both feed and food-grade grain.
“Uniform checks must be applied to all consignments of grain transported from Russia and Belarus, regardless of their intended use,” Mažeika said in a statement. “We must do everything to ensure that our country’s infrastructure is not used for the transit of stolen Ukrainian grain.”
Since May last year, Lithuania, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have been implementing the Grain Verification Scheme, under which mandatory laboratory testing is conducted on feed grain held in customs warehouses, according to the ministry.
But changes in monitored traffic flows indicate that some shipments may be moving under simplified direct-transit procedures or being declared as food-grade grain to avoid inspections, the ministry said.
