The Federal Consumer Protection Service has stipulated a list of conditions for the resumption of the import of Lithuanian dairy products, which has been on hold since early October.
The list follows a five-day visit by Russian experts to the country and comes amid a threat from Lithuania it will complain to the World Trade Organization over the so-called 'milk war', which it claims is purely politically motivated.
The outlined conditions demand that Lithuania look into the discovery of potentially dangerous phthalate plasticizers in its dairy products and guarantee its products are labeled in accordance with Russian requirements, the agency said Monday in a statement on its website.
Exporters will be required to translate technical documentation into Russian and be held responsible for the quality and safety of their dairy products. Russia also wants a system to be set up to share information on possible violations of safety standards and unsatisfactory lab test results, the consumer safety agency said.
The agency did not specify a timeframe for the lifting of the ban should Lithuania comply with the demands.
Earlier, former chief sanitary inspector Gennady Onischenko threatened restrictions would remain in place "for an incalculably long time" should Lithuania lodge a complaint with the WTO, Interfax reported.
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