Latvia, Ukraine and UK agree to verify the origin of grain
Latvian Minister of Agriculture Uldis Augulis signed a three-way memorandum of understanding with Ukraine and the United Kingdom on grain origin verification. It aims to make it harder for farm produce illegally taken from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory to reach world markets.
On Wednesday, 21 October, Latvian Minister of Agriculture Uldis Augulis signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine and the United Kingdom on a grain origin verification system. The document provides for closer cooperation to identify agricultural produce that may have been illegally removed from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, and to keep such cargoes out of international trade.
The memorandum was also signed by Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotskyi, and Baroness Hayman of Ullock, Deputy Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The parties are Latvia's Ministry of Agriculture, Ukraine's Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Science-based verification
The memorandum envisages an innovative, science-based grain origin verification system. It is meant to help competent authorities check the origin of suspicious shipments and make international food trade more transparent. The three countries will exchange information and experience, improve grain sampling and laboratory testing methods, and add authentic grain samples to a reference database. Particular attention will go to the use of isotope and chemical analysis.
Latvia's role
The cooperation is especially significant for Latvia because of its geographical position and transit infrastructure. The memorandum calls for origin checks along transit routes too, including Latvian ports and railway infrastructure.
Augulis said Russia's aggression against Ukraine must not become an opportunity to profit from produce stolen in occupied territories. In his words, it is particularly important for Latvia as a transit country to ensure that its ports and transport infrastructure are not used to carry illegally obtained produce.
The war has caused heavy losses to Ukrainian agriculture and created challenges for global food security. The cooperation runs until 31 March 2027 and may be extended if the countries agree.
