Imports of cucumbers from Russia to Poland reached their highest level in four years this March, according to data reported by Russia’s RIA news agency and based on Eurostat figures.
Over 2,000 tons of Russian cucumbers entered Poland that month, significantly more than during the same period last year.
Poland’s Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection service (IJHARS) confirmed the spike in imports and reported that all inspected batches—125 in total from January to mid-March—met EU trade standards.
However, concerns have emerged in Latvia that Russian cucumbers cleared through Polish inspections may have made their way into the Latvian market. Jānis Bušs, president of the Baltic Vegetables cooperative, expressed frustration, telling LSM+ that products from "the aggressor country" are circulating in Europe “without any rules, any morality.”
In March, IJHARS conducted random quality checks in three Polish provinces and discovered labeling irregularities, including issues with accurately listing the country of origin.
Polish Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski said Warsaw would push the EU for stricter rules on product traceability and faster alerts concerning pesticide violations.
The safety of these imports was already under scrutiny earlier in February, when a shipment of Russian cucumbers transported by a Belarusian carrier was rejected at the Polish border due to excessive pesticide residues. Tests revealed pymetrozine levels more than six times the EU's legal limit, prompting the shipment to be returned.
Pymetrozine is a pesticide that disrupts insect feeding behavior, ultimately causing starvation. Photo by Charlie.Smatt, Wikimedia commons.