Russia bans dairy imports from Armenia

Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) has banned imports of dairy products from Armenia following inspections of Armenian dairy processing facilities.

The inspections, conducted between July 14 and July 21, covered Armenian milk processing enterprises previously approved by Armenia's veterinary authority to export dairy products to Russia, the watchdog said in a statement on Friday.

According to Rosselkhoznadzor, inspectors identified deficiencies similar to those documented during inspections in 2023 and 2024. The agency said the violations involved product traceability, the issuance of veterinary certification for raw materials and finished products, veterinary and sanitary inspections of incoming raw materials, risk management systems and compliance with production control programs.

The Russian regulator also said inspectors found that milk from infected livestock had been used to manufacture dairy products destined for the Russian market.

Rosselkhoznadzor further alleged that some producers used raw materials imported from third countries to manufacture high-fat dairy products for export to Russia, despite previous assurances from Armenia's veterinary service that only domestically sourced milk or raw materials from Eurasian Economic Union member states were being used.

The agency said Armenia has yet to establish a system capable of verifying the origin and safety of milk and other dairy raw materials used in production, particularly milk supplied by individual farmers. It also called for improvements to the country's laboratory infrastructure.

In light of the findings, Rosselkhoznadzor said it had introduced measures aimed at preventing the entry of particularly dangerous infectious diseases into Russia and blocking the sale of unsafe Armenian dairy products.

The Russian regulator also argued that the findings demonstrate Armenia's inability to effectively oversee agricultural producers, attributing the situation in part to the consequences of government reforms introduced in 2019.