The Russian Federation banned the import of fresh apricots, cherries, sour cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums and sloes from Cantemir and Ialoveni districts of Moldova owing to the infection of plums with the Monilinia fructicola pathogen. The National Food Safety Agency was informed about this by a letter by Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, IPN reports.

According to the Agency, an internal inquiry was opened to establish the traceability of plums and the documents and laboratory results will be analyzed. The results of the inquiry will be made public.

Depending on the results, the Agency will request the Russian partners to set up a joint commission for inspecting the fruit in the cold storage facilities in the two districts and in other districts, of the choice of the Russian side.

To prevent the export of fruit infected with Monilinia fructicola and the pest Grapholita molesta, the National Food Safety Agency obliged those who export stone fruit to Russia to present the lab test results showing the quarantine pathogen for the importing state is absent.