The government of Russia has again extended the ban on food imports from the EU, this time through 2018. The embargo was first implemented in August 2014 in response to economic sanctions against Moscow over the Ukrainian conflict.
The Kremlin’s move follows a six-month extension of the EU’s sanctions against Russia, with EU leaders saying that the restrictions will remain in place until the implementation of the Minsk 2 peace accord that was brokered to bring an end to the unrest in eastern Ukraine.
As well as seafood, the food banned from the EU includes fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy products.
Russia has twice extended its embargo in direct retaliation for the extension of the EU sanctions.
Most seafood exporters previously dependent on Russia quickly shifted their focus elsewhere to mitigate the impacts of the lost market. Prior to the ban, it was major buyer of Norwegian salmon and U.K. mackerel, for example, but after some initial market fluctuations and trade flow shifts, products were absorbed into other importing markets.
