Belarus imposes food embargo on a number of goods in response to sanctions

January 1, Minsk. From January 1, in response to sanctions , Belarus introduces a food embargo on a number of goods from states that carry out unfriendly actions against our country. This is provided for by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of December 6, 2021 No. 700 "On the application of special measures in relation to certain types of goods", BelTA informs.

According to the decision taken by the government, from January 1, 2022, a food embargo will be introduced against a wide range of goods produced in countries that implement discriminatory policies and carry out unfriendly actions against our country.

The import ban applies to a number of products from the European Union and its Member States, the United States of America, Canada, Norway, Albania, Iceland, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Switzerland.

The list of prohibited goods includes pigs, cattle meat, pork, a number of offal, salted meat, in brine, dried or smoked meat, food meal from meat or meat offal, milk and dairy products (with some exceptions), vegetables, except for those intended for seeds, fruits and nuts, pig fat and poultry fat, cattle, sheep or goat fat, lard stearin and other animal oils, sausages and similar products, confectionery, salt and other products.

"The interests of its citizens remain the most important priority for Belarus. The head of state has repeatedly focused on taking response measures without harming the population. For this reason, the decree of the Council of Ministers contains a number of exemptions, and, in particular, will not affect goods imported by Belarusians for personal consumption , as well as, for example, intended for baby food, and a number of other items of critical import," the press service of the government noted.

At the same time, measures will be taken to ensure a balance in the consumer market, including by saturating it with domestic products. Importers, commodity producers and trade networks will be focused on replacing goods not produced in Belarus with supplies from friendly states.

The regulation on quotas for the import of certain types of goods into the territory of Belarus was also approved.