MOSCOW, August 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russia on Monday introduced temporary restrictions on dairy products on Lithuanian companies after traces of antibiotics were discovered.
A spokesman for Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia's agricultural watchdog, Alexei Alekseyenko said traces of the banned tetracyclines were detected in recent imports of butter, sour cream and cheese from Lithuania.
He said that a recent increase in dairy imports from the Baltic State meant that the traces had only been discovered after the products had crossed the border.
Tetracycline, which is used to treat sick cattle, is banned in Russia and in many other countries. It was widely used for decades in animal feed to improve growth, but research indicated that the use of antibiotics carried health risks, particularly for pregnant women. The World Health Organization has pushed for restrictions on the use of antibiotics in farming.
