Russia: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
Russia continues registration of Genetically Engineered (GE) crops for imports of food and feed in accordance with existing Russian legislation. As of mid-July 2015, Russia has twelve registered lines of GE corn, seven lines of GE soybeans, one sugar beet line, one rice line, and two lines of GE potatoes. There is a de-facto ban on registration of GE crops for cultivation because there is no administrative mechanism for such registration. The development of such an administrative mechanism, and beginning of registration of GE crops for cultivation was postponed till July 1, 2017. Given that the registration process is estimated to take 5-6 years, cultivation of GE crops in Russia cannot be expected before 2023-2024. Moreover, some industry analysts expect that the official beginning of registration process may be moved beyond 2017. The anti-GE public opinion is still strong, but with the reduction in disposable incomes of Russian consumers, purchasing decisions will be based on prices. Labeling and information for consumers on the presence of GE ingredients in food products is regulated by the technical regulations of the Customs Union. These regulations require that products sold in the CU member countries must be labeled if they contain the presence of over 0.9 percent of GE lines. The CU technical Regulation for GE feed has not yet been adopted. Feed sold in Russia do not require labeling. However registration of GE lines for use in feed is required if the presence of registered lines is over 0.9 percent and the presence of non-registered lines is over 0.5 percent.
