According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture, the country is set to expand its meat exports to Europe via Russian territory, as Moscow prepares to lift the ban it imposed three years ago. At the time, Russian authorities cited concerns over Kazakhstan’s failure to meet veterinary standards.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov emphasized that Russia and Kazakhstan have reached an agreement to partially lift restrictions on Kazakhstani meat and meat product imports into Russia.
«We closely cooperate with Russia in regard to agricultural product supplies. Currently, we are working on lifting bilateral import restrictions, as this move will provide significant support for farmers,» Sultanov said in a statement.
He also added that the ban has been removed only for products exported from the southern and southeastern regions. However, import restrictions are expected to be fully lifted soon. In January 2022, Russia banned imports of Kazakhstan-origin meat products, citing poor veterinary conditions in several regions of the country.
Furthermore, Kazakhstan’s government intends to boost exports of wheat and other agricultural products to Europe. Astana and Moscow are currently collaborating on the development of seed production facilities.
«This will allow us to supply our farmers with domestic seeds. Additionally, grain exports to Europe, such as durum wheat exports to Italy, will increase via Russian territory,» Sultanov said.
A temporary ban on Kazakhstan-origin wheat, linseed and lentil exports to Russia has been in effect since October 2024. The restriction is applied to products intended for supply to third countries through indirect transshipment.
In November, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) claimed that Kazakhstan allegedly used invalid certificates for its agricultural products. At the time, the Kazakh Grain Union described the situation as «a possible trade war,» linking the limitations to Kazakhstan’s temporary ban on Russian wheat imports, which was effective until the end of 2024.
In response, MPs from the Amanat and Respublica parties proposed limiting Russian product imports and submitting the matter for examination by the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union, citing the financial losses borne by Kazakhstani exporters.
In January, Kazakhstan and Russia agreed to discuss the phytosanitary requirements for the import of flowers, vegetables, seeds, and grain. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture had not yet extended the wheat import ban but is closely monitoring the situation and has not ruled out taking new regulatory measures if necessary.
