Netherlands: Russia bans the import of Dutch flowers *ARCHIVE*

Russia has banned the import of cut flowers from the Netherlands, the country's hygiene watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor announced on Monday. Footage from March shows how thousands of flowers were prepared and ready to be exported to Russia from the world's largest flower auction in Honselersdijk. According to the Russian watchdog, quarantine organisms on over 300 recent shipments were found on Dutch products. It recommends the suspension of all Dutch cut flowers destined for Russia, demanding authorities address the issue in order to avoid EU-wide sanctions on similar products. It is estimated that the Netherlands exported 30,700 tonnes of cut flowers and flower buds in 2014 alone, valued at $225.4 million (€203 million).