Russia halts dairy imports from Azerbaijani firms over inspection refusal

RUSSIA – The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) has restricted the import of dairy products from two companies, ALLBUY LLC and MILK PRODUCTS LLC.

The decision follows the companies’ refusal to permit Russian inspectors to evaluate their production facilities, a move seen as non-compliance with regulatory standards.

Rosselkhoznadzor had previously requested access to inspect five Azerbaijani dairy enterprises still exporting to Russia.

These inspections were intended to verify adherence to Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Russian food safety regulations, especially after deficiencies were identified during earlier assessments in 2024.

According to Azerbaijan’s Food Safety Agency, both ALLBUY and MILK PRODUCTS have expressed a lack of interest in continuing exports to Russia.

The companies, which specialize in products like butter and cheese, are no longer pursuing trade with Russian buyers.

“The Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency contacted Rosselkhoznadzor with information that two Azerbaijani enterprises, Allbuy LLC and Milk Products LLC, are not interested in further deliveries of their products to Russia. In this regard, these producers refused to undergo inspections by the Russian service. Taking this into account, Rosselkhoznadzor is restricting access to Russia for dairy products from these Azerbaijani enterprises,” the statement said.

Russia turns to UAE, Turkey for butter imports

Last year, Russia’s demand for butter saw a significant shift as the country began sourcing the product from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkey in response to rising domestic prices.

Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision, announced that as of November 2, 2024, Russia had imported 90 tons of butter from the UAE. 

This marks the first time that butter shipments have been delivered to Russia from the UAE, signifying a new supplier in the Russian market.

According to Rosstat, the national statistics agency, butter prices in Russia have surged by 25.7% from January through late October, raising concern among consumers and prompting officials to address the price escalation. 

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev has led recent government meetings to monitor and stabilize prices, which now involve daily assessments of the food market. 

To further curb rising prices, the Russian government proposed to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) a tariff concession allowing up to 30,000 tons of butter imports with reduced tariffs. Currently, the base duty is set at 15%, or no less than 0.22 euros per kilogram.

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