ArmInfo.On May 5, Sergei Dankvert, head of Rosselkhoznadzor, held talks with Tigran Petrosyan, head of the Armenian Food Safety Inspectorate, as reported by the Russian supervisory authority's press service. The parties discussed cooperation between the countries' competent authorities and compliance with requirements for the supply of Armenian plant and livestock products to the Russian market.
At the request of the Armenian side, Rosselkhoznadzor will conduct inspections of enterprises whose supplies to Russia have been suspended due to suspected import of counterfeit fish products, presumably of European origin. A preliminary inspection and analysis of materials, including photographs, of imported rainbow trout has raised doubts in Rosselkhoznadzor regarding the origin of the raw materials used to produce the product.
The rainbow trout declared in the veterinary documents did not match the imported fish in terms of morphological characteristics. It had an atypical coloration for this species and an abnormally large weight over 5.5 kg. This indicates that the fish belongs to a different salmon family or to another trout species, which is a sign of counterfeit goods. Salmon farming and sale are more common in European countries, and such products may be subject to specific economic measures (sanctions).
Furthermore, following the agreements reached, at the request of the Armenian side, Rosselkhoznadzor plans to inspect crop production facilities in the country to ensure the supply of truly Armenian and phytosanitarily safe products. The Service expressed concern over the increasing number of detections of organisms quarantined by EAEU member states in quarantine products imported from Armenia to Russia.
During the past period of 2026, 39 million cut flowers were imported. These were found to contain 135 cases of quarantine organisms, representing 77% of the 176 detected in all of 2025. Of these, 133 were western flower thrips (California thrips), one was citrus whitefly, and one was tobacco whitefly.
Since the beginning of 2026, 16.3 thousand tons of Armenian fruit and vegetable products have been imported to Russia, with 146 cases of quarantine organisms detected. Despite the decrease in fruit and vegetable imports, detections continue. The total number of exporters of quarantine products exceeds 2,000, and traceability of these goods, as well as phytosanitary control, is difficult, as the Armenian side acknowledged during the meeting. This indicates a lack of sufficient oversight by the competent Armenian agency and also raises concerns about Rosselkhoznadzor's confidence in the certification system for products exported to Russia.
Currently, the Service's territorial office has increased phytosanitary control of quarantine products being shipped from Armenia to Russia, and additional specialists from the central office of Rosselkhoznadzor are planned to be brought in starting May 19, 2026.
