Slovakia suspends grain imports from Ukraine

The Government of Slovakia has decided to suspend the import of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine.

That’s according to a report by Xinhua, citing Slovakia’s Minister of Agriculture Samuel Vlcan as saying, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The decision was made during the government’s online meeting, after the recent discovery that 1,500 tons of grain imported from Ukraine had potentially been contaminated by pesticides," the article says.

It is noted that the ban will come into effect on April 19. According to Vlcan, the step will protect Slovakia's agricultural industry and food sector, “and especially the health of consumers,” Xinhua wrote.

At the same time, Slovakia did not limit the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through its territory to third countries.

The head of the State Veterinary and Food Administration of Slovakia, Josef Bires, added that his office was checking all food and feed imported from Ukraine for possible contamination.

It should be recalled that over the past weekend, Poland and Hungary introduced similar bans on agri-imports from Ukraine.

The move outraged the European Commission, which has the authority to determine pan-European business approaches.