Russia to restrict Armenian dairy imports over safety concerns

Russia’s agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said it will impose restrictions on imports of dairy products from Armenia starting July 27, following inspections that identified multiple compliance issues.

The agency said inspections conducted between July 14 and 21 at Armenian dairy processing facilities revealed the use of milk from infected livestock in products exported to Russia.

“As part of the current inspection, the use of milk from infected livestock for the production of products supplied to Russia has been identified,” Rosselkhoznadzor said.

The regulator also reported confirmed cases of third-country raw materials being used in the production of high-fat dairy goods for the Russian market, despite prior assurances from Armenia’s veterinary authorities that only domestic or Eurasian Economic Union-sourced inputs were being used.

“Cases have been confirmed of using raw materials from third countries to produce high-fat products for the Russian market, despite earlier assurances from Armenia’s veterinary service that domestic raw materials or those from Eurasian Economic Union enterprises were being used,” the statement said.

According to Rosselkhoznadzor, Armenia has yet to establish a system capable of verifying the origin and safety of milk and other dairy inputs, particularly those sourced from private households. The agency also highlighted concerns about the country’s laboratory infrastructure.

“To date, Armenia has not established a system capable of confirming the origin and safety of milk or other dairy raw materials used in production… In addition, attention should be paid to the laboratory base,” the statement added.

The regulator said the measures are intended to prevent the import of hazardous infections and the distribution of unsafe dairy products in Russia.

“Taking into account the identified violations, Rosselkhoznadzor has taken measures to prevent the introduction of particularly dangerous infections into Russia and the sale of unsafe dairy products on the domestic market,” it said.

Rosselkhoznadzor has formally requested that Armenia’s Food Safety Inspection Body suspend veterinary certification for all dairy exports to Russia from July 27.

By Tamilla Hasanova