Romania to seal off Ukrainian grain shipments and check for pesticides directly at customs / Bucharest will not ban imports or transit

Minister Petre Daea informed his Ukrainian counterpart on Wednesday that Romania will seal and monitor all grain shipments from Ukraine, and the Veterinary Health Authority (ANSVSA) will directly control the level of pesticides in Ukrainian products at customs, according to a statement from the Agriculture Ministry.

At the same time, Minister Daea asked Ukrainian Minister Mikola Solski to quickly find solutions to restrict exports of cereals (sunflower and rapeseed) to Romania.

Daea also said that Romania will continue to allow the transit of Ukrainian grain.

Full Ministry of Agriculture press release:

Minister of Agriculture Petre Daea held an online discussion with his Ukrainian counterpart Mikola Solski today, 19 April 2023, on the measures Romania will take to protect Romanian farmers as a result of trade in Ukrainian grains and oilseeds. The President of ANSVSA, Alexandru Nicolae Bociu, also participated in the discussions.

During the conversation, Minister Petre DAEA told his Ukrainian counterpart that the Romanian state will implement additional security measures (sealing and monitoring) for means of transport transiting the Romanian territory to third countries, in order to protect Romanian farmers facing difficulties due to the flow of Ukrainian grain. Minister DAEA reiterated that Romania, as a Member State, supports the European Commission’s efforts to support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and will continue to ensure the transit of grain from this country to third countries and traditional trade routes.

At the same time, Minister Daea has also asked the Ukrainian side to quickly identify solutions to restrict exports of cereals and oilseeds (sunflower, rapeseed) to Romania, given the difficulties faced by Romanian farmers. The Ukrainian minister was also informed that as of today Romania is introducing direct customs controls, coordinated by ANSVSA, for all agri-food products coming from Ukraine, with sampling for quality determination in accordance with European legislation, and not at destination as was the case until now. The decision was taken in view of the fact that pesticide levels above the EU’s permitted limit were found in another European country.

During the discussions, Minister Mikola Solski was informed about the approach made by the Ministers of Agriculture of the five Member States (RO PL HU BG and SK) to the European Commission to amend Regulation 870/2022 in order to ensure the transit corridor to third countries without affecting farmers in bordering countries.

The Romanian side also conveyed to the Ukrainian counterpart that it expects a reply to the letter addressed to the European institutions by the 4 EU Prime Ministers and the President of Bulgaria on the solutions identified for the farmers’ and market problems.

The two officials agreed to have a tete-a-tete meeting on Friday 21 April 2023 in Bucharest in order to quickly implement the best solutions for both sides.

Translated