Фото: Lutz Wernitz, unsplash.com
Starting next week, Lithuania will detain Russian and Belarusian grain destined for export at the port of Klaipėda until test results confirming its origin are received. The checks could take two months or longer, Reuters reports, citing a representative of Lithuania’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Lithuania began inspecting grain shipments from Belarus and Russia in September. Authorities suspect that some of the products may originate from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
The inspections will cover wheat, barley, sunflower seeds and corn shipped for export through Klaipėda from Belarus and Russia. Starting next week, customs clearance of the cargo will not be completed until laboratory test results are received.
If the tests establish that the declared origin of a shipment is false, it will be returned or destroyed, a Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture official explained.
As Lithuania does not have a laboratory capable of conducting the required tests, grain samples will have to be sent abroad.
Exporters will bear all costs associated with storage, testing, return or destruction of the grain, the ministry representative said.
In September 2026, Lithuania announced plans to inspect grain transiting through the country from Belarus and Russia to prevent stolen Ukrainian grain from passing through its territory. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have also proposed imposing sanctions on the transit of Russian grain through European Union countries.